2014 Atlanta City population estimates -- Shows modest growth (Jackson, Buckhead: cul-de-sac, 2015)

[Ant131531]

2014 estimate: 456,002

Change 2010-14 (x): 35,746

Pct. change (x): 8.51%

Click here for the source

Not going to lie, I expected at least 10k people growth, maybe even 15k with all of these units being delivered. It's not bad, but it's explosive growth either. I wonder if people are still moving out of the city in droves.

[J2rescue]

I really wouldn't call this projected growth modest when considering Atlanta declined from its peak population by 100,000 people over a couple of decades. Projected over the decade at this growth rate, the city would add around 100,000. That's pretty significant growth. Also the majority of the city's growth is in the form of urban, multifamily development which represents a dramatic shift for this metro.

[hautemomma]

During that same period, Gwinnett and Cobb counties grew by about 74K and nearly 50K, respectively. Is "everyone" still moving "back to the city"?

Gwinnett County QuickFacts from the US Census Bureau

Cobb County QuickFacts from the US Census Bureau

By 2020, Cobb is expected to have about 800,000 people and Gwinnett with over 1M.

Population Projections

When news organizations and policy think tanks comment on Atlanta's growth, it is reflective of the metro region (including the fast-growing counties like the aforementioned), not the City of Atlanta itself.

I think it would be nice if the city evangelists adopted a more inclusive view that considers this glaring reality (in general, not pointed to you, OP).

By the way, when a suburb eclipses the population of the capitol city, just how "un-urban" is that given suburb?

[cqholt]

Originally Posted by hautemomma

During that same period, Gwinnett and Cobb counties grew by about 74K and nearly 50K, respectively. Is "everyone" still moving "back to the city"?

Gwinnett County QuickFacts from the US Census Bureau

Cobb County QuickFacts from the US Census Bureau

By 2020, Cobb is expected to have about 800,000 people and Gwinnett with over 1M.

Population Projections

When news organizations and policy think tanks comment on Atlanta's growth, it is reflective of the metro region (including the fast-growing counties like the aforementioned), not the City of Atlanta itself.

I think it would be nice if the city evangelists adopted a more inclusive view that considers this glaring reality (in general, not pointed to you, OP).

By the way, when a suburb eclipses the population of the capitol city, just how "un-urban" is that given suburb?

You are comparing an entire county and very large counties by GA standards, to a city of 134.2 square miles.
Given the fact that Atlanta had been losing population and seen very low growth, 35K is a huge number and shows that there is demand intown, but people still have options and will choice to move to what suits their needs.

[Clayton white guy]

I really think that both posters are spot-on: The suburbs are seeing incredible growth AND the City of Atlanta is also growing at higher than historical rates after a couple of decades of decline. I also know that while there has been incredible increases in some eastside and northside neighborhoods, they have been partially offset by rapid declines especially in westside communities due to the continued de-stablization and the empty-nest nature of many stable southwest Atlanta communities. (Funny that being stable and "emptying out" can cause the same issue, be they for VERY different reasons) Regardless, a gain is a gain. It is a positive trend for the City and the suburbs and a bunch of people "picking fly mess out of pepper" cannot spoil the good news on both fronts. Let us all rejoice that we don't reside in a DECLINING METRO! ;0)

[atler8]

I would suspect that the population increase that seems to be occurring at a healthy clip in the close-in areas on the east & north sides of downtown as well as in portions of Buckhead are still being offset by declines in the same westside neighborhoods that emptied out at a tremendous rate (part of a long term trend) during the last census period. The severity of that emptying out caught demographers & statisticians off guard in the 2010 census tally & countered the growth trends elsewhere in the city. The result was a surprisingly small & disappointing amount of overall population growth in the city proper.
As another member noted this morning, it's important to keep in mind that with a small 130 square mile or so area, the City of Atlanta is not going to have the same type or volume of growth as do suburban counties that still have tremendous amounts of open or lightly settled land where massive subdivisions can be developed.
So, it's not so much that Atlanta as an old, core urban center is failing at growing but rather it is dealing w/ more complexities in it's growth patterns, something that suburban jurisdictions have & will also encounter as they age.
The fact that the city of Atlanta has shed it's heavy population loss trend of the late 60's-early 90's & entered a growth phase shows that there indeed has been a historical turning of the worm w/ a move back into the city center much more of a reality.

[Pemgin]

An 8.5% increase in population over 5 years is pretty good, I'd say. I think Atlanta has enough momentum to hit 500,000 by 2020.

[UrbanConquistador]

Originally Posted by hautemomma

During that same period, Gwinnett and Cobb counties grew by about 74K and nearly 50K, respectively. Is "everyone" still moving "back to the city"?

Gwinnett County QuickFacts from the US Census Bureau

Cobb County QuickFacts from the US Census Bureau

By 2020, Cobb is expected to have about 800,000 people and Gwinnett with over 1M.

Population Projections

When news organizations and policy think tanks comment on Atlanta's growth, it is reflective of the metro region (including the fast-growing counties like the aforementioned), not the City of Atlanta itself.

I think it would be nice if the city evangelists adopted a more inclusive view that considers this glaring reality (in general, not pointed to you, OP).

By the way, when a suburb eclipses the population of the capitol city, just how "un-urban" is that given suburb?

I'm not trying to promote mud slinging here but....That's very rich. You realize that Cobb literally formed a 10 ft wide city for the purpose of not being inclusive, right?

How Atlanta Was Kept Out Of Cobb County By A 10-Foot-Wide City | WABE 90.1 FM

Most city residents would love to be better connected with Cobb, Gwinnett, and the entire Metro. I'm not positive I can say the same for the people in your town.

[AtlantaIsHot]

Originally Posted by atler8

I would suspect that the population increase that seems to be occurring at a healthy clip in the close-in areas on the east & north sides of downtown as well as in portions of Buckhead are still being offset by declines in the same westside neighborhoods that emptied out at a tremendous rate (part of a long term trend) during the last census period. The severity of that emptying out caught demographers & statisticians off guard in the 2010 census tally & countered the growth trends elsewhere in the city. The result was a surprisingly small & disappointing amount of overall population growth in the city proper.
As another member noted this morning, it's important to keep in mind that with a small 130 square mile or so area, the City of Atlanta is not going to have the same type or volume of growth as do suburban counties that still have tremendous amounts of open or lightly settled land where massive subdivisions can be developed.
So, it's not so much that Atlanta as an old, core urban center is failing at growing but rather it is dealing w/ more complexities in it's growth patterns, something that suburban jurisdictions have & will also encounter as they age.
The fact that the city of Atlanta has shed it's heavy population loss trend of the late 60's-early 90's & entered a growth phase shows that there indeed has been a historical turning of the worm w/ a move back into the city center much more of a reality.

I know it seems as though bigger square mileage must entail bigger population size, that isn't necessarily the case. We must remember that one sizeable apartment building can house as many people as several blocks of suburban cul-de-sacs. One high-rise can theoretically house 1,000 people. Consider that Oklahoma City is nearly 4 times the square mileage of Chicago, yet who has the bigger population? Jacksonville Florida is nearly 3 times the square mileage of NYC, yet who has the bigger population? There are many variables in population size. Just imagine what could be if all the abandoned blocks south of I-20 were razed and replaced with townhouses. Imagine if every parking lot of Midtown and Downtown were replaced with high-rise residential towers. Just looking at the multiple high-density developments sprouting all over the city, would lead one to conclude rapid population growth. Single family houses, apartments, and high-rises are also being built all over Buckhead. A number of developments are going up on the Westside too. It was my understanding that the foreclosure crisis and price collapse had ended. I didn't think the neighborhoods were emptying at the same rate as before. At least I hope not, but keep in mind, these are ESTIMATED (GUESSES). They won't know until the actual counting is completed for the next census. I just hope the population truly is 456,000... The ARC has always produced the most accurate estimates and they said 2014 (or was it 2013?) was 428,000... Having said all that, 8.5% growth in only 4 years is high growth. That translates to 17% in 8 years and 22% in 10 years. It's all guesswork until then.

[skbl17]

I think these sniping city v. suburb posts are unwarranted. Let's just acknowledge that it's good to see both the City of Atlanta and the suburban counties growing.

Besides, these are census estimates. It's all just guesswork until 2020.

- skbl17