Fastest Growing Cities in Iowa (2007 Census Estimates) (Des Moines, Ames: live in, versus)

[mfrerkes]

Originally Posted by SharpHawkeye

When you said 'ghost town', in my mind, I took it as its "dry gulch and tumbleweed" sort of meaning. What you're saying makes a lot of sense, now that I understand it better.

Poor wording on my part. Still, I think rural Iowa has been seeing the crisis get worse instead of better, going back to the 1970s. The problem began with declining birth rates as baby-boomers didn't churn out babies at the same rate their parents did. Then, came the farm crisis of the 1980s. The rural ag-based economy was reduced to a former shell of itself by 1990. This latest wave of the rural exodus (migration to urban centers) is basically a by-product of the first two waves I mentioned. Less young people and less economic opportunity in rural Iowa equals a greater exodus.

This is sad. Cities like Des Moines and Cedar Rapids can celebrate their astounding growth, but I sense few will mourn the passing of Iowa's rural heritage. It really is tragic.

[DSMGuy]

I think Des Moines and Iowa City could be considered astounding growth, for Iowa, anyway. Pretty average compared to the sunbelt.

[DMRyan]

I'll take above-average growth anyday over the hyper-growth in the west. It's hard to keep your resources as a community up with that level of development and population happening so quickly.

[ehenningsen]

Des Moines is experiencing sunbelt type of growth..

Sioux Falls growth is astounding.. They could very possibly pass a 30% growth rate for 2000...

[DSMGuy]

Sioux Falls, amazing. I think DM was second on growth list for the midwest (for mid to large cities) to Sioux Falls. Their growth blows DM away. I don't think SD has an income tax, their growth probably has more than a little to do with that.

We're talkin' metro's here, not city populations.

[zz4guy]

Why is big growth such a good thing? Anybody been to places like DFW where there is unbridled growth? Traffic is unbelievably bad. Everything is just cobbled together. There was no planning and you get one little suburb after another with no identities.

[GraniteStater]

Originally Posted by zz4guy

Why is big growth such a good thing? Anybody been to places like DFW where there is unbridled growth? Traffic is unbelievably bad. Everything is just cobbled together. There was no planning and you get one little suburb after another with no identities.

Eh, and I believe that Houston has no zoning. No wonder why real estate is so "affordable" there.

[GraniteStater]

Originally Posted by ehenningsen

Des Moines is experiencing sunbelt type of growth..

Sioux Falls growth is astounding.. They could very possibly pass a 30% growth rate for 2000...

What exactly quantifies sunbelt levels of growth? The Kansas City metro is also growing quickly, but has a weaker economy compared to DSM. Basically all metro areas in the Plains/Midwest are growing at the expense of the rural and frontier counties. The outmigration forces out on the High Plains are just incredible. The only attraction is good paying jobs in some of the energy boom towns like Gilette, WY.

[mfrerkes]

Originally Posted by zz4guy

Why is big growth such a good thing? Anybody been to places like DFW where there is unbridled growth? Traffic is unbelievably bad. Everything is just cobbled together. There was no planning and you get one little suburb after another with no identities.

I don't know that growth, just by itself, is a key indicator for quality of life. Places like Miami and greater Los Angeles have been booming for decades, yet most of us wouldn't want to raise families there...even with the warm weather.

Growth can spur positive things, such as more amenities, more economic opportunities and the like. As you mentioned, it also brings in more sprawl, more traffic snarls, higher housing costs and even increased crime.

I think Des Moines and Cedar Rapids growth is derived primarily from in-state cannibalization. That's why Iowa has remained at a virtual standstill in population growth while a few metro areas within the state benefit from a rural exodus. It's a trend that will probably continue for years, if not decades.

[mfrerkes]

Originally Posted by Plains10

What exactly quantifies sunbelt levels of growth?

I think they are qualifying sunbelt levels in terms of percentage, which is somewhat incongruous due to the fact sunbelt growth is driven largely by out-of-state arrivals. I would be surprised if growth in the DM and CR metros is comprised of predominantly non-Iowa residents.