A Fast-Growing Taiwanese CommunityNothing about Sentio, an apartment complex in North Phoenix, gives away its connection to the future of American manufacturing. Its 325 units are arrayed around a courtyard and a swimming pool. But the compound is widely known as TSMC Village. Four miles to the north, in the middle of a desert valley, Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company is building a constellation of factories to make advanced computer chips. The project has relied on an influx of skilled workers from Taiwan who have delivered an infusion of expertise to a country that had not built a major chip factory in more than a decade. TSMC Village is where many of the incoming families land. The newcomers have faced challenges in transitioning to life in an American region defined by sprawling suburbia and summer temperatures reaching 110. They have also transformed a sleepy and remote stretch of Greater Phoenix into a fast-growing Taiwanese community. Businesses aimed at serving the workers and their families have proliferated, from boba tea shops to law firms and insurance agencies that include Mandarin speakers. Sharon Lee, a former television anchor from Taipei, arrived two years ago with her husband, a TSMC quality control manager, and their twins, then still babies. She knew no one, spoke little English and could not drive. She was also suffering postpartum depression. Life at TSMC Village quickly supplied her with a community. She organized a group of mothers with small children, and they planned get-togethers in surrounding playgrounds. With few Chinese restaurants nearby, they took cooking classes and made wontons, hand-pulled noodles and pastries. “If you want to eat, you have to learn how to cook,” Ms. Lee said. Her group now includes 220 people. She and her family recently moved out of their apartment, joining five other TSMC households in buying homes in the same community. Their children play together while the parents socialize.
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