The number of Asian American immigrants in Folsom multiplied five-fold from 2000 until last year as found out by the US Census Bureau.
Among them are Chalamcherla of India, Steven Wang of China, and Marcus Yasatuke of Japan.
51-year-old Chalamcherla long decided to come to Folsom after falling in love with the city while attending the birthday celebration of a friend’s son, but it wasn’t until 2006 that he actually did so after spending two years in Singapore and the Bay Area.
Nearly ten years after arriving in the country, Steven Wang, who is currently Folsom’s city attorney, became a citizen.
Back then, it was hard for tourists to enter the US but Wang, together with her brother and mother, swiftly passed the immigration after saying that they would be visiting Disneyland, the only place he knew.
Wang, who is now a lieutenant colonel, has been a member of the US Army Reserve since 2004. During that time, many of his fellow soldiers were losing their lives while serving, and Wang felt in danger.
Because of this, he worked in Folsom city before finishing the necessary time to serve in his Afghanistan deployment, and he told The Sacramento Bee, “I don’t know if every company is like this, but Folsom has been quite supportive of the military.”
Additionally, in 2003, Marcus Yasutake, 45, moved to Folsom with his wife after receiving job offers from Placerville and Roseville. They were able to reside there and raise a family of three children.
Communications director Christine Brainerd of the city of Folsom said that Asian Americans are likely attracted to the area on the same note as why many citizens choose to call Folsom home.
The head of the Sacramento Asian Pacific Chamber of Commerce’s economic development team believes that the tech-based companies in Folsom may be one factor for the recent increase in Asian residents.
Marcus cited the excellent school system in Folsom as one of the reasons why he came there, whilst Chalamcherla claimed that technology plays a significant role in the city’s increasing Asian population.
Racial discrimination is far from nonexistent in Folsom. That’s why Chalamcherla urges other Asians to immerse them in Asian culture.
