A new report released on Thursday morning by the U.S. Census Bureau shows population growth in the Tallahassee metro area was the slowest among all metro areas in Florida.
According to population estimates, Tallahassee is last among the 22 metro areas in Florida with a .48% change in population from 2015 to 2016. The estimated population of the Tallahassee metro area was 379,627 as of July 1, 2016.
When comparing population growth from 2010-16, the Tallahassee metro area ranks 2oth out of the 22 metro areas with a growth rate of 2.78%.
The table below shows the 22 Florida metros listed in the order of the 2015-2016 population growth rate (third column). Also included is the population growth for each metro area from 2010-2016 (fourth column).
The Villages had the highest population growth in Florida, followed by Cape Coral-Fort Myers and Punta Gorda.
Conroe, Texas (near Houston), was the fastest-growing large city (population of 50,000 or more) between 2015 and 2016 at 7.8 percent, making its growth rate more than 11 times the nation’s growth rate of 0.7 percent. Some of the other fastest-growing cities were: Frisco, Texas (6.2 percent); McKinney, Texas (5.9 percent); Greenville, S.C. (5.8 percent); and Georgetown, Texas (5.5 percent).
“Overall, cities in the South continue to grow at a faster rate than any other U.S region,” said Amel Toukabri, a demographer in the Census Bureau’s population division. “Since the 2010 Census, the population in large southern cities grew by an average of 9.4 percent. In comparison, cities in the West grew 7.3 percent, while cities in the Northeast and Midwest had much lower growth rates at 1.8 percent and 3.0 percent respectively.”
Four cities in the West — Bend, Ore.; Buckeye, Ariz.; Lehi, Utah; and Meridian, Idaho — were among the top 15 fastest growing. Only one city in the Midwest, Ankeny, Iowa, topped the list while no cities in the Northeast were among the nation’s fastest growing.
New Census Report Shows Tallahassee Metro Population Growth Ranks Last in Florida added by Staff on
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Expressways just facilitate sprawl. Tallahassee needs to keep sprawl to a minimum since the natural environment around the city is one of its best qualities. I’m also not sure why slow growth is a bad thing.
Would love to see a new highway going from Valdosta, to Panama City through south Tallahassee. Adding such a dynamic to toward the coast could revolutionize that part of the panhandle, especially Wakulla and south Tallahassee. With this and the continue the pace of growth in the bradforville and centerville areas, tally would add to its already glimmering gem.
An expressway from Bradfordville in the north roughly parallel to Meridian to east of downtown, curving WSW to the airport would serve the wealthier north, downtown, the universities, and less wealthy areas on to the airport. If it were attached to I-185 out of Columbus through the forest to terminate in Panama City, it might get funding and support from the Feds. It helps us, Ft Benning, Eglin, and Tyndal in addition to civilians. It makes flying out of Tally a tint bit less negative than driving to Jax,NOLa or Orlando for cheaper flights. Even a small toll for city use might help fund future attachments. A freeway between Crawfordville/Woodville to Panacea would give us beach access without expending so much energy to get there. Elecric cars are the future, not mass transit in little Tally. We are now Orlando’s size in 1960. We must grow if Florida grows. Look at Austin, Tx and Sacramento for proof. We will be discovered one day as Florida fills up, and we have a lot to offer. Near mountainous terrain at the Nature Conservancy at the Apalachee River bluffs, Wakulla Springs, Alligator point, lovely rivers to boat on, and good weather 8 months of the year, with zero threat of major hurricanes. We are a city with a future, not a wilderness.
Tallahassee is a city, not a wilderness park. As Florida grows, so must Tallahassee. We’ve built one highway, Blairstone (which should’ve been straighter-and 6 lanes, with higher speeds) since 1950+-. Look at Pinellas county if you want to see what our gridlock will be in 30 years. They didnt build highways, and the people moved around it. Now it is a parking lot. Tallahassee roads are already a parking lot for a small city. In 30 years you will be begging for roads. We need roads. UN Agenda 21 is forcing people from the country into sustainable cities. We will not be sustainable. Cities grow or die. If we only muster this tiny growth in sweet times, what will our future be in tough times? Cities grow or die.
GOOD, thank goodness.
Who wants the crowds of the rest of this state? The roads her arent grids like everywhere else, they are hills and curves. Pair that with the infamous florida driving habits, and you have a bad situation. Theres only so much space for people to go, and this place isnt setup for mass influx of people. Lets keep it that way!
A lack of new jobs. The state and universities aren’t doing much hiring, and there aren’t any big new companies in town. Housing prices are higher than other places in Fla, and we don’t have very much of a retiree sector. We don’t have much tourism like other Fla cities that could yield new residents.
We are number one in crime and high taxes. That will encourage growth all the time.
What is more alarming is that the Tallahassee Metro area growth rate from 2010 through 2016 is ranked third from last! One year bad result could be a statistical fluke made up in prior or succeeding years. But for a seven year period is alarming. Could we be having a considerable number of residents leaving in almost equal numbers of new arrivals? One would think someone with the Chamber, local government, etc would do what many businesses do when losing a valued client: exit interviews. Forwarding addresses at utility departments would be an excellent source of such a survey. Same could be done for businesses when they turn off their utilities and leave town.
We’re number 1 in STD’s
http://www.flhealthcharts.com/charts/OtherIndicators/NonVitalIndNoGrpDataViewer.aspx?cid=0203
Should we clap for The Clap?
A business climate that’s not friendly to new and emerging businesses, astronomical airfares, and absurd utility rates, what do you expect?