The Columbus Skyline (Cincinnati, Jackson, Jacksonville: home, land, areas)

[coach123]

Originally Posted by czb2004

The Columbus MSA does not include Chillicothe or Marion, that is only included in the CSA. Why is gaining 59,000 people just in the city limits over the last 9 years negligable? I don't understand your logic, 59,000 is more than the entire OSU student body! And like jbcmh81 said, its been growing faster by like a thousand more every year since 05. We probably gained another 10,000 people just in 2010. Most of the growth has been in Franklin and Delaware Counties, not near Chillicothe and Marion.

Because that is over a 10yr period. So you are talking about only adding 5900 people a year on average. It neglible when you compare that to population growths of other cities similar in size to Columbus

[czb2004]

The only city in the Midwest with a higher growth rate would be Indianapolis and on a per year basis Columbus is starting to grow faster. We're higher in percentage growth than most East Coast Metro's as well. I guess we just disagree, but I don't think adding 59,000 people just within city limits over a 9 yr period is so small that it is meaningless. I could care less about gaining retired people like Florida and Arizona. Gaining illegal Mexican immigrants like Texas and the rest of the West and Southwest doesn't necessarily mean better quality of life for those states citizens (just look at all the violence on the border).

[jbcmh81]

Originally Posted by coach123

You are comparing the most populous city in the world, Mexico City, to Columbus. I have been to Mexico City and driving there is a nightmare. So yes, demand for public transportation there is high because it is easier than driving. Not the case, here in Columbus.

Also, you mentioned growth rates in Columbus? What? What growth rates are you talking about? Any population growth in Columbus is negligable. The Columbus Metropolitan Area which includes the city of Columbus, the suburbs and goes as far south as Chillicothe and as far noth as Marion grew by 11.73% in the last 10years according to Census data. That is nothing compared to a lot of other similar sized cities who had population growths of around 20% or more.

I wasn't making a direct comparison between the two cities, only giving an example of how public transportation has benefits. And I also said that I wasn't sure Columbus had reached the point where it needed more options just yet. But in the future with continued strong growth, definitely. And I'm not sure where you got your figures from, but there really are not that many areas that saw 20% growth or higher. There are a few places in the South, but not many. I was just looking at census data yesterday and there were literally only a handful. Columbus is one of the fastest growing cities in the Northeast or Midwest.

[grmasterb]

Originally Posted by czb2004

The only city in the Midwest with a higher growth rate would be Indianapolis and on a per year basis Columbus is starting to grow faster. We're higher in percentage growth than most East Coast Metro's as well. I guess we just disagree, but I don't think adding 59,000 people just within city limits over a 9 yr period is so small that it is meaningless. I could care less about gaining retired people like Florida and Arizona. Gaining illegal Mexican immigrants like Texas and the rest of the West and Southwest doesn't necessarily mean better quality of life for those states citizens (just look at all the violence on the border).

I'll give you what I believe a better example -- Washington, D.C., has been losing population for decades, yet it's actually become more prosperous.

Now, I'm not going to suggest that losing population is good. I'm just supporting the idea that modest/slow growth can be a good thing -- certainly better than explosive/uncontrolled growth.

[jbcmh81]

Originally Posted by coach123

Because that is over a 10yr period. So you are talking about only adding 5900 people a year on average. It neglible when you compare that to population growths of other cities similar in size to Columbus

First of all, a growth rate of almost 12% in 10 years is pretty good. Out of the 366 metro areas with over 100,000 people, there are maybe a 3rd who can match that rate, if that. Out of those, 99 MSA's had at least 500,000 people. Of those, 48 had a rate of growth equal to or greater than Columbus. Of those, only 3 other cities in the entire Midwest or Northeast had a equal or greater growth rate. The other 44 cities were all in the South or West. Also, out of the 48 cities, the actual number of people entering Columbus in that time was greater than 26 of them, including all but one of the Midwest/Northeast cities. Throw in the fact that the rate of people moving here has been increasing each years since 2005, and given its location and the general population trends, Columbus is doing very well.

[jbcmh81]

Originally Posted by grmasterb

I'll give you what I believe a better example -- Washington, D.C., has been losing population for decades, yet it's actually become more prosperous.

Now, I'm not going to suggest that losing population is good. I'm just supporting the idea that modest/slow growth can be a good thing -- certainly better than explosive/uncontrolled growth.

The Washington, DC MSA gained 680,167 people from 2000 to 2009 for a growth rate of 14.2%. Maybe the city itself is losing people, but not the general area.

[grmasterb]

Originally Posted by jbcmh81

The Washington, DC MSA gained 680,167 people from 2000 to 2009 for a growth rate of 14.2%. Maybe the city itself is losing people, but not the general area.

I was referring to the city proper the way coach123 was referring to Columbus proper.

[chet_kinkaid]

many people feel that columbus growth is only because of annexation...simply not true.look at the population growth of franklin county.the columbus msa is growing at a rate of around 200-250k people every ten years with most of the columbus msa population living in or in areas bordering franklin county as opposed to some msas that are regions of cities spread apart.and the columbus csa is projected at over 2.5 million by 2025.very impressive for a rust belt city..in ohio

[jbcmh81]

Originally Posted by grmasterb

I was referring to the city proper the way coach123 was referring to Columbus proper.

Well, yes and no. As of 7/1/2009, there were 599,657 people in DC. That was a drop from 606,900 in 1990. However... the population had dropped to as low as 550,521 in 2005, so it's actually been gaining people again the last 5 years or so.

[jbcmh81]

Originally Posted by chet_kinkaid

many people feel that columbus growth is only because of annexation...simply not true.look at the population growth of franklin county.the columbus msa is growing at a rate of around 200-250k people every ten years with most of the columbus msa population living in or in areas bordering franklin county as opposed to some msas that are regions of cities spread apart.and the columbus csa is projected at over 2.5 million by 2025.very impressive for a rust belt city..in ohio

And those figures may be conservative.

From 1990-2000, a period with a lot of annexation, the city grew by 78,560 people, or 7,856 per year on average.
Then the growth rate slowed. From 2000 to 2005, only about 19,000 were added, or 1,900 per year.
From 2005 to 2009, about 39,000 people were added, so the rate doubled in 4 years. Not only that, but almost a 1/3rd of that was added in just one year, from 2008-2009, beating any single year since at least 1990, and was greater than 2007-08 which in turn was greater than 2006-07, etc.

That said, I doubt we hold our position for very long as far as the 15th-16th largest city in the country. We will most likely pass Indy, but there are several cities in the South and West that are growing much faster and will probably pass us in the next 10 years unless something happens.