Tampa's existing Hispanic community makes it inviting to Puerto Ricans, Hosler said. He's not surprised to see concentrations in Town 'N Country and Brandon, areas offering new and affordable housing. When Springsteen, a Korean native, moved to Hillsborough County 20 years ago, she didn't find many people like herself. The fledgling Asian communities bonded together, forging a business and social network that helped create the county liaison office where she now works. Over time Asians discovered the affordable cost of living and slower, friendlier pace and found it attractive, Springsteen said.
Labor is cheaper here.
The transplants tend to be younger and bring families with them. That, Hosler said, helped keep Florida's median age from increasing more than the 2.4 years it did elsewhere as the baby boom generation grows older and more people live longer. The state's 1.5 percent decline, or 32,144 people, was far smaller than the nation, which saw a 7.6 percent drop in people 25-34 years old. One exception is Holiday, a community of 22,000 people in southwestern Pasco County. It underwent a dramatic transition in the 1990s.