Census: Region more diverse than a decade ago

South Hampton Roads has become increasingly diverse  over the past decade with an influx of Asian and Hispanic residents, and  all the region’s cities now are at least a third non-white,  census figures show.

Minority populations made the biggest gains in Chesapeake and Virginia Beach, whose shifting demographics reflect statewide changes.

Nearly 3 million of Virginia’s 8 million residents are  non-white.

“Minority is going to become majority very soon,” said

Jagdish Singh, a longtime leader in a host of multicultural and Asian culture organizations in the region.

Three of Hampton Roads’ five cities –  Norfolk, Portsmouth and Suffolk –  already are near or at that point, according to the data, released this week.

But Hampton Road s’ diversification couldn’t keep up with explosive growth elsewhere in the state.

Parts of Northern Virginia saw even larger increases in  its Hispanic and Asian populations, fueling a 92 percent increase in the number of Hispanics statewide.

Hispanics now account for nearly 8 percent of  Virginia’s population, the latest census figures show.

Two-thirds of them live in Northern Virginia, according to analysis from UVA’s Weldon Cooper Center for Public Service.

Hampton Roads is home to more than 60,000 Hispanics and Latinos, most of whom reside in Norfolk and Virginia Beach. That’s a large increase from 2000, when  33,000 respondents to the census marked Hispanic heritage.

Along with growth in the Hispanic population, all five cities saw an increase in the number of Asian residents. Virginia Beach now has one of the state’s largest Asian populations, with more than 32,000 residents claiming at least partial Asian heritage.

Singh said that when she and her husband moved to Hampton Roads in 1967, there were only three other Indian families in all of Hampton Roads.

In contrast, when the newly formed Asian Business Organization met for the first time in  January, there were already 75 members.

“Now, there are so many people,” she said. “The number has increased by leaps and bounds.”

She said the increasing diversity has empowered minority residents to have more of a voice in business and politics throughout the region.

George Daria, of the Philippine Cultural Center of Virginia, pointed to the 2009 election of Virginia Beach’s Ron Villanueva to the General Assembly as proof of the growing influence of the minority population. Villanueva, a state delegate, was the first Filipino American elected to a state government position.

“It’s a very pleasant observation – more young people are getting interested,” Singh said. “This is a very pleasant transition that is coming along.”

Meghan Hoyer, (757) 446-2293, meghan.hoyer@pilotonline.com