Irving Is Known For Diversity
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IRVING (KRLD) - Come to Irving, and you'll be setting foot in one of the most diverse cities anywhere.
In fact, in a 2012 study done by the real estate website Trulia-dot-com, it found that the 75038 ZIP Code is the single most diverse ZIP Code in the entire nation, with nearly equal percentages of white, black, Hispanic and Asian residents.
Irving is also home to a very vibrant Indian community.
Every Sunday, Hindus from Irving and the surrounding communities come to the BAPS Mandir, just off the Bush Turnpike.
Deepen Patel is a volunteer at the temple. He and his family moved to Irving from India, and he says the large Indian community has been very beneficial.
"You're drawn to what is comfortable to you," Patel says. "And when you see a commmunity that is so vibrant and so diverse, then it's very easy to be a part of that community.
That sentiment is shared by Tushar Solanki. After growing up near Plano, he lived in several cities in the U.S., including Denver, Boston and New York, before he and his wife decided to settle in Irving.
"We wanted to come near a facility like this BAPS Swaminarayan Mandir, where our kids could grow up and have values and involve culture in their lives and stuff," says Solanki.
Tushar's wife, Pooja, says Irving gives her and her family a home away from home.
"I could be near friends and family that is all in Irving that celebrate the same festivals that I do and follow the same rituals that I do so we can all really cultivate our culture together in this community," Mrs. Solanki says.
Irving is also home to a vibrant Muslim community.
Rashad Ahmeduddin moved to Irving from Wisconsin. He was drawn to Irving after visiting family.
"The city was growing. The economy was growing as well," Ahmeduddin says. "And I felt like this was the place to come to after school."
He says Irving's large Muslim community has been very beneficial to him.
"You have a lot of like-minded people (and) a mosque to come to, so you felt safe (and) secure," says Ahmeduddin. "The city is great, our neighbors are great."
Members of both the Muslim and the Indian communities say Irving's diversity is something to be celebrated.
"There are only two other places in the U.S. that we know is as diverse as Irving, which are Queens (New York City) and Treasure Island (San Francisco)," says Patel. "So both east and west coast, and we're right here in the middle
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