The Asian population is growing at a faster percentage in North Texas than any other demographic group, according to U.S. Census data.
In Tarrant County alone, 129,437 Asians were counted in the 2020 census – a 53% jump from 10 years earlier.
At 1.5 million, Asians now make up six percent of the Texas population, the data shows.
In Haltom City, An Truong – an immigrant from Vietnam – has been elected mayor twice.
Get DFW local news, weather forecasts and entertainment stories to your inbox. Sign up for NBC DFW newsletters.
Truong believes Asians are actually undercounted because of a culture that values privacy.
"Every time you have a US census, the Asian people don't believe they have to tell you about my identify, you know, my personal,” Truong said.
Truong recently set up the Vietnamese-American Association of North Texas as a way to unite the growing population.
Local
The latest news from around North Texas.
Tom Ha also immigrated from Vietnam – at the age of 24 -- and now runs an insurance business in Haltom City.
"When I came I came with nothing at all,” he said. “A pair of shoes and the clothes on my back and that's it but America is a country of great opportunity."
He's also noticed the recent jump in the Asian population.
"It's a steep increase,” Ha said. “Because I'm in business I have seen that, witnessed that."
The reason?
Both men say many Asians who moved to California for the weather are moving to Texas now for the economy and family-friendly values.
"The Asian culture is very family-oriented,” Ha said. “And we rely on our own and we build our own systems up."
The Asian growth -- the fastest of any demographic group -- is changing Texas culture.
"So you will see a lot of influence on the Asian community into the political, educational and also economic aspect of the community,” Ha said.
And politics too.
Truong, who became a Fort Worth police officer after he arrived in Texas and later spent years working undercover, said many people are surprised to learn he is mayor.
But he said he could only have been elected with the support of non-Asians.
"Just Vietnamese population isn't enough to put me in office,” he said. “I think the majority of Caucasions love me and want me as mayor."
Ha said the older guard of Asian immigrants like him and the mayor are welcoming the new arrivals.
"I'm very happy to see it and I'm happy we'll be able to contribute back to this nation because America has been so good for the refugee people and without America, we might have been dead by now,” Ha said.
