GERMANS BRING HISTORY TO THOUSAND OAKS AREA.

Byline: Grace Lee Staff Writer

Residents of German ancestry make up the biggest part of Thousand Oaks' population, with more than 20,000 people tracing their roots to that country, according to newly released 2000 Census data.

Residents claiming English, then Irish backgrounds, rank second and third in size, with a population of 16,126 and 15,582, respectively.

Thousand Oaks residents with Mexican ancestry are the fourth-largest segment of the population, numbering 11,129, according to the data.

``Clearly, Ventura County is a good microcosm of the state of California in terms of its overall ethnic diversity,'' said Bill Buratto, executive director of the Ventura County Economic Development Association.

Businesses are beginning to realize that diversity provides economic opportunities, Buratto said, and businesses are turning their attention to marketing to various ethnic and cultural groups.

Top earners in Thousand Oaks are Asian Indian households, in which the median average household income is more than $106,000, the figures show. Incomes in households of Japanese descent rank next highest, with an average of more than $97,400 annually. Families with Swiss heritage rank third, with an annual median income of more than $96,000.

While those with Mexican roots rank fourth in population and third in household size - with an average of 4.1 members - they rank near the bottom when it comes to median household income. Thousand Oaks families with Mexican backgrounds earn almost $51,000.

Chris Ronnenberg, associate planner with the city of Thousand Oaks, said large household sizes among families with Mexican backgrounds may reflect cultures in which living with extended family is more common.

But it also highlights a countywide need for more affordable housing, he said.

Buratto agreed: ``Clearly, those census numbers say that housing is an issue.''

According to Buratto, making housing more affordable is closely linked to the need for better jobs and more educational opportunities.

Those with Asian Indian backgrounds made up the largest group of adults with bachelor's degrees or higher, while residents with Chinese backgrounds ranked second, followed by those with Korean roots.

Those with Asian Indian roots, while ranking at the top for family income, are among the least likely to use English as the household language, the census figures show. Only a third of those families speak English as the household language.

Some 19 percent of residents of Chinese background speak English as the household language, while the group ranks second in the family earnings category.

A little more than one-fifth of residents with Asian Indian roots were either living in another country or at sea in 1995. Almost 15 percent of residents with a Vietnamese background fell in that category and just over 14 percent of those with Japanese roots.

Grace Lee, [phone]

grace.lee(at)dailynews.com