In 1990, New Rochelle was a heterogeneous place, with nonwhites making up 23.9% of the population, up from 21.3% in 1980. This diversity is nothing new. In 1693, New Rochelle had 44 families, including three Dutch, one German, and one English, and 19 Haitians, presumably slaves. In 1790, New Rochelle's 692 residents included 100 African-American slaves and 36 freemen. The Colored Peoples Methodist Episcopal Zion Church was founded in 1814; in 1820, six slaves remained among New Rochelle's African-American population of 150.

By 1865, 30% of the town's population was foreign-born. Of New Rochelle's 3,968 residents, 800 were Irish and 200 were German. In 1873, several New Rochelle families observed Yom Kippur, and in 1896, the town's first synagogue, Anshe Sholom, was chartered. Today, New Rochelle has approximately 700 Orthodox Jewish families. According to a newspaper account of a dispute between two city Kosher Chinese restaurants, "New Rochelle's Orthodox population is flourishing, having doubled in just two decades as Orthodox professionals snap up the classic Tudor-style houses in the city's north end. Two of the four synagogues have built or are planning new sanctuaries, and the two restaurants share North Avenue with a kosher bakery, a kosher pizza shop, and a kosher grocery."

Indeed, diversity remains one of New Rochelle's hallmarks. One 17-year resident, Peter Ackerman, commented in a recent newspaper article that the city's heterogeneity made it a good place to raise children. "When you're forced into an environment where you really have to interact with kids from different socioeconomic and ethnic backgrounds," he said, "you're forced to realize that the world is a more complex place than your own personal, rather insular, environment. We believe there are no losses here in New Rochelle as the result of this diverse population. It's part of its strength." According to the New Rochelle School Superintendent, "almost half the student body is minority, representing 57 nations. We have students on welfare assistance, ones who are recent immigrants, and wealthy students. We not only savor their differences, we cherish and nurture them."
New Rochelle's population of Mexican-Americans has grown by leaps and bounds since the city's first Mexican immigrant arrived in 1954. Although less than 4% of the city's population was of Mexican origin in 1990, many believe it is now closer to 15%. A recent New York Times article described downtown New Rochelle as "dotted with Mexican restaurants and shops."

There are also many immigrants from Guatemala, the Dominican Republic, Colombia, Ecuador, and other Central and South American countries. They have become the chief parishioners of St. Gabriel's Roman Catholic Church located at Division and Washington Streets, an elaborate blue granite building featuring Tiffany windows that was built by, according to one newspaper account, former congregations of "socialite millionaires." Today's parishioners, according to the article, are people who "live in the old houses in the surrounding neighborhood, people who work ling hours as busboys, gardeners, and cleaning women and still have a hard time making ends meet, people who speak little or no English." New Rochelle also has a sizeable Taiwanese community.

Although New Rochelle has been heterogeneous throughout almost its entire history, diversity has sometimes invited controversy and conflict. In 1961, the city's Lincoln Elementary School was the focus of a landmark school desegregation battle. At the time, Lincoln was 94% black. Parents of eleven children sued the city because they were prevented from registering their children in city schools outside their district. Although attorneys for New Rochelle argued that the city was merely promoting a "neighborhood school" policy, the federal judge hearing the case concluded that Lincoln had been established "as an all-Negro school by the gerrymandering of district lines and by the transfer of white children residing in the district to schools outside the district." Although for two years, the school board resisted the judge's order to desegregate, a new board in 1963 tore down the Lincoln school and complied, integrating the system through busing. Recalling the battle in 1987, one longtime resident said the case "gave us a bad name at the time, but it was one of the best things to happen to the city. We don't have segregated schools, we have integrated neighborhoods and the climate is quite good."

Still, that has not prevented violence from erupting in New Rochelle. Following the announcement of the Rodney King verdict in 1992, "dozens of black teenagers and adults roamed the downtown streets, smashing windows and looting." One rioter said, "It was worth it. We were just tired of being pushed around. It made me feel good to get all of my frustration out." The city manager at the time, Matthew Iarocci, described New Rochelle as a "League of Nations," adding, "People do get along quite well. It gives you a more sophisticated and more tolerant perspective when you grow up with other people."

Demographic Data for New Rochelle (from 1990 U.S. Census and DEIS)

PERSONS 67,265

FAMILIES 16,991

HOUSEHOLDS 25,317

RACE COUNTS
White 51,141
Black 12,166
American Indian, Eskimo, or Aleut 80
Asian or Pacific Islander 1,967
Other race 1,911

RACE PERCENTS
White 76.0%
Black 18.0%
Asian 2.9%
Hispanic 10.8%
Other 3.0%

HOUSEHOLD SIZE AND HOUSEHOLD TYPE
1 person:
Male householder 2,576
Female householder 4,707
2 or more persons:
Family households:
Married-couple family:
With related children 5,787
No related children 7,374
Other family:
Male householder, no wife present:
With related children 272
No related children 564
Female householder, no husband present:
With related children 1,467
No related children 1,527
Nonfamily households:
Male householder 566
Female householder 477