D.C. population continues to grow, census data show

Comments

 SEE HOW THIS STORY DEVELOPED

EMAIL STORY

PRINT STORY

» 93 days ago: D.C. population continues to grow, census data show «

269 days ago: Population is rising after nearly 50 years, but experts say families exiting to suburbs

Washington, D.C. (Map, News) - D.C.’s population in 2007 edged up by another 2,500 residents, according to U.S. Census Bureau figures released Thursday, continuing a growth trend that followed a five-decade-long collapse.

The city’s population as of July 1, 2007, was 582,049, the Census Bureau reported, up from 579,621 in 2006 and 577,467 in 2005. The District is the nation’s 27th-largest urban jurisdiction.

The number of residents in the nation’s capital steadily declined after the 1950 Census, when the population peaked at more than 800,000. The drop-off continued for the next 50 years, as D.C. fell from the ranks of the nation’s largest cities.

But the trend turned around toward the end of former Mayor Anthony Williams’ tenure, which he said was an endorsement of his aggressive housing and economic development policies.

William Frey, a demographer at the Brookings Institution, said the trend for D.C. and elsewhere is that young people who move into cities are unable or reluctant to move to the suburbs due to the slumping economy and rise in gas prices. How long that will last, he said, is difficult to predict.

“In a place like D.C. there is always in-migration to the city from other parts of the country, and young people attracted to city life,” Frey said in an e-mail. “Until recently there was a similar flow to the suburbs for more affordable housing, better schools or personal preference. The latter flow has become more costly so those earlier young in-migrants are now staying longer in the city.”

The Washington metropolitan area has exploded from 4.7 million people in 2000 to 5.3 million in 2007.

Paul DesJardin, director of community planning and services with the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments, said D.C.’s population rise is a “recognition that the entire region is an attractive place to live and work,” and specifically of the District’s policies of neighborhood reinvestment and revitalization.

“We are a magnet for workers across a broad spectrum of skills, for families, for singles and even international migration,” DesJardin said.

mneibauer@dcexaminer.com

SEE HOW THIS STORY DEVELOPED

EMAIL STORY

PRINT STORY

» 93 days ago: D.C. population continues to grow, census data show «

269 days ago: Population is rising after nearly 50 years, but experts say families exiting to suburbs