ABSTRACT
Asian Americans are made up of physically and culturally diverse groups with different languages, customs, and values. Based on the 1990 United States Census, the estimated Asian and Pacific Islander population in the United States was 7 million, or about 3 percent of the nation's total. The Asian American population is varied, not only in terms of the historical and cultural characteristics of its distinct nationalities but also in terms of the specific historical circumstances of immigration streams and the context in which immigrant groups are received. Immigration has fed the growing Asian population, with many moving directly into the suburbs. At the same time, the white population has shown little growth. However, the year of immigration and the context in which they arrived are highly related to their experiences, Vietnamese who came right after 1975 when Saigon fell are mostly educated, but post-1980 Vietnamese are mostly refugee or boat people.
