MINNEAPOLIS — Minnesota’s diversity grows every year. Of the top five immigrant groups in the state, two come from Asia. So what exactly is Minnesota’s Asian-American and Pacific Islander history? Good Question.

While it dates back more than century, key points in history had a great influence.

Both University Avenue in St. Paul and Nicollet Avenue in Minneapolis take drivers today on a tour and taste of Asia. Chef Tammy Wong leads Rainbow Chinese Restaurant, a highly-successful staple on Eat Street for more than 30 years.

Her family’s story in Minnesota started in 1983. They lived in both California and New York prior. But their story of coming to the United States is shared by many Asian families.

“We were a refugee [family]. We live in Hong Kong,” Wong said, adding that former Vice President Walter Mondale visited their refugee camp while she was there.

ThaoMee Xiong’s journey to Minnesota started in Wisconsin.

“I was born in Laos and then we fled and lived in refugee camps for three years,” said Xiong, executive director of the Coalition for Asian American Leaders.

Xiong’s journey to Minnesota started in Wisconsin.

“We were sponsored by a Catholic church. I think we were extremely lucky because we had a church sponsor us. Families in Minnesota that had churches sponsor them and had that support system, they fared a lot better,” she said.   

Hmong families like hers were part of the mass influx of political refugees who came to the U.S. starting in the 1970s. More than 15,000 Hmong people would soon call Minnesota from 1979-1996, according to the Minnesota Department of Health.

About 15,000 Vietnamese refugees made a similar trek to Minnesota during that span. It was a turning point in the state’s Asian population, but not the beginning. That came in the 1870s, when Chinese people settled in St. Paul, many to escape racial discrimination on the West Coast.

Chinese, Japanese and Filipino immigrants made up the majority of the state’s Asian population at first, many coming as laborers or foreign exchange students.

The demographics have since changed dramatically. There are nearly 350,000 Asian Pacific Minnesotans, according to the 2020 U.S. Census.

The top group, or about a quarter, is Hmong, at 88,579. That’s followed by Asian Indians at 52,687. Chinese living in Minnesota are third at 39,622. No other state shares the same top three population order of Asian Pacific groups.

There are dozens of Asian and Pacific island countries and ethnicities represented in Minnesota, along with several religions. Xiong said there are more than 100 languages spoken in the different communities.

“Those three things combined together means we have a very robust Asian Minnesotan population, but also one where there’s a lot of opportunity to build solidarity,” Xiong said.  

For Chef Wong, solidarity happens on her menu, since many of her ingredients come from local Hmong farmers.

“Whenever I go to different city, different state, I see Asian farmers everywhere,” Wong said, adding that their crops helped infuse her foods with more authentic flavors.

From farming, to business ownership, and more recently politics, Asian Pacific islander influence continues to grow in Minnesota. Many immigrants who come today see professional opportunities, education, and a different social environment.

“We decided to be here and wanted to be here, continue to be here and not leaving the neighborhood,” Wong said.

Her family includes two sisters who also own businesses in Minneapolis. They all live in the city.

Speaking to WCCO while at the Hmong Cultural Center in St. Paul, Xiong said, “These stories that you are producing will help to normalize Asian Minnesotans being a part of our community. And hopefully, we get to the point where we won’t have to say ‘Asian Minnesotans.’ We can just say ‘as a Minnesotan.’”

Hennepin and Ramsey counties have the highest population of Asian Pacific residents in the state. Thousands more live in the surrounding metro communities, with large populations numbering in the thousands also living in Stearns, St. Louis and Olmsted counties.