KY Metro Areas growth estimates 2000-07 (Lexington, Louisville: tech jobs, air quality, park)

[censusdata]

Louisville (KY side only) +57,334
Lexington +38,847
Northern KY +33,826
Bowling Green +11,835
Hopkinsville +9,364
Owensboro +2,229
Henderson +241
Ashland -357

http://www.census.gov/popest/counties/tables/CO-EST2007-02-21.csv (broken link)
http://ksdc.louisville.edu/sdc/maps/ky2003msa.pdf

[censusdata]

FYI...

The entire Louisville CSA (IN & KY sides) has grow by 76,106 since 2000

The entire Lexington CSA (which is really messed up - see below) has grown by 55, 444 since 2000

I don't know why the Lexington CSA includes Rockcastle, Bath, & Menifee counties, but does not include Garrard & Boyle.

The Cincinnati & Dayton Metro areas combined (an area w/ 3 million people) ONLY gained 109,238 since 2000 - and that was after Hamilton County mysteriously went from losing 30,000 people to only losing 3,000.

[The Village Idiot]

Louisville (KY side only) +57,334
Lexington +38,847
Northern KY +33,826
Bowling Green +11,835
Hopkinsville +9,364
Owensboro +2,229
Henderson +241
Ashland -357

Ouch! Unfortunately, this is actually an improvement from the 1980s and 1990s. By 2010, I expect that Ashland's population will level off at around 20,500-21,000 and then either grow very slowly (something like 1% over the next decade) or remain stable (i.e., stagnant). It really is a nice town, but its air quality is not good and it only has a couple of major employers. The proposed riverfront park will be a nice improvement, but Ashland really needs more well paying, high-tech jobs.