Source: Star Tribune

On June 8, 2002, the Star Tribune reported that "at a time when India and Pakistan are again on the verge of war, immigrants from those countries have found in Minnesota a home where friendship can supplant hatred... Which isn't to say that issues of religion and nationalism don't sometimes intervene. But the unifying threads of language, food, music and culture often transcend those issues... Indians and Pakistanis began making the Twin Cities home after 1965, when immigration laws were relaxed... The most recent influx has resulted from the recruitment of high-tech workers, predominantly from India... According to the 2000 Census, both groups in Minnesota have more than doubled in the last decade. The data show that there are about 17,000 people of Indian descent and nearly 1,000 people of Pakistani heritage in the state, with most living in the metro area... For the most part, Indian and Pakistani communities do not often interact because they often form around temples, mosques, churches and gurudwaras, a Sikh place of worship. And many social circles revolve around regional identities such as Bengali, Tamil and Punjabi... But it's often a different story for younger immigrants, the second generation, and those who grew up outside of the subcontinent who have made lasting relationships on college campuses, the dance floor, and cricket fields."