Asian Population Surges in Palo Alto

The Asian population in town has skyrocketed in the last decade, helping fuel a historically rare large increase in the general population in Palo Alto, according to figures released Tuesday by the U.S. Census Bureau.

Between 2000 and 2010, the number of Asians in Palo Alto jumped from 10,090 to 17,461—from 16.6 percent of the total population to 25.9 percent. That is double the statewide percentage of Asians, which grew from 11.5 in 2000 to 13 percent last year.

Palo Alto Councilman Pat Burt attributed the rise in the Asian population in part to the strength of the city’s academic offerings.

“One of the reasons why we’ve had an influx of the Asian population is the quality of our schools,” said Burt.

Burt said the City Council has been aware of the demographic changes for some time, thanks in large part to Councilman Yiaway Yeh, he said.

Yeh “spoke about the importance of engaging our growing Asian population in community life as much as possible by trying to embrace the demographic trends and try to pull in civic participation from all of the members of our community.”

The total population in Palo Alto also grew rapidly, according to census figures, from 58,598 in 2000 to 64,403 last year. That 10 percent growth is perhaps the largest since the 1950s, said Burt.

“That was a reflection of demand for our community and our schools,” he said. But the city may not have been ready for it.

For decades, Palo Alto’s zoning allowed for residential units to be built within commercial areas. Up until the dot-com bust, commercial real estate was too valuable to attract residential developers, however. But that all changed at the same time the demand for housing skyrocketed.

“We suddenly got an avalanche of project proposals,” said Burt. “Those are the ones that have sprouted up in south Palo Alto.”

That growth quickly led to public outcry about rampant development, and four years ago the City Council voted to revoke the clause allowing residential use in commercial areas, except on a case-by-case basis. No residential proposals have been received since that change was made, according to Burt.

Statewide, the general population grew from 33.87 million to 37.25 million. The percentage of Latinos in California skyrocketed from 32.4 percent to 37.6 percent, while the white population dropped from 59.5 percent to 57.6 percent.

Overall, population growth for the nine-county Bay Area slowed to 5.4 percent, which puts the region at risk of losing a congressional seat. A new statewide redistricting commission will use 2010 census figures to consider redrawing political boundaries.