Hydee B. Almendras brought the first Asian family to the Colony Lakes section of Stafford Township. At first, her daughters were subjected to racist remarks from their high school classmates who Almendras says probably never saw an Asian before. And that kind of isolation is typical of Ocean County where the number of blacks, Hispanics and Asians has grown over the past decade, but still accounts for less than 10 percent of the population. The largest number of blacks and Hispanics live in Lakewood Township, while Toms River has the most Asians, according to recently released census data. Among southern Ocean County and two neighboring Burlington County municipalities, only Washington Township, Burlington, has a white population that is less than 95 percent.
Ocean County ranks fourth in the state as having the most whites.
In southern Ocean County, Stafford has the largest number of Asians, but they represent only 1 percent of the township s population. Almendras, who moved from Brooklyn, N.Y., says many others have migrated from New York, Philadelphia and northern New Jersey. I think they re already coming, she says. The lack of jobs and apartments in Ocean County is Almendras only guess as to what s keeping minorities from the county. The owner of the only ethnic store in the area said she has seen no racial tensions since her daughters were in school.