{"id":2117,"date":"2010-07-22T15:08:00","date_gmt":"2010-07-22T21:08:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.boulderblueline.org\/?p=2117"},"modified":"2010-07-31T12:39:42","modified_gmt":"2010-07-31T18:39:42","slug":"does-dense-make-sense-part-1-population-growth-trends","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.boulderblueline.org\/?p=2117","title":{"rendered":"Does Dense Make Sense? Part 1. Population Growth Trends"},"content":{"rendered":"

Editor’s note:\u00a0 PLAN-Boulder County<\/a> has issued a report entitled <\/em>Does Dense Make Sense? <\/strong> This is the first part in a six part series extracted from the report.<\/em><\/p>\n

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Image from http:\/\/www.thepeloton.com\/<\/a><\/dd>\n<\/dl>\n<\/div>\n

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Colorado and Boulder County have a long history of continued growth.\u00a0 Between 1970 and 2008, Colorado\u2019s population grew 125%, outpacing the annual, national rate for 38 straight years.\u00a0 Colorado is estimated to be among the top 20 states for job growth in 2010 and will see corresponding levels of population growth.\u00a0 In fact, for the next 30 to 40 years, the fastest growing metropolitan areas in the United States are predicted to be in the western states along the mountain ranges \u2014 cities such as Phoenix, Salt Lake City and Denver.<\/p>\n

Boulder is the densest city in the Rocky Mountain west for cities with populations greater than 50,000.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Boulder County has experienced a series of population booms, with the rate of growth peaking in the 1960\u2019s and 1970\u2019s.<\/p>\n

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Table 1.\u00a0 Boulder County Population Growth<\/h2>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
Census<\/td>\nPopulation<\/td>\nIncrease\/Decade
\n(percent)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
1900<\/td>\n21,544<\/td>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
1910<\/td>\n30,330<\/td>\n40.8<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
1920<\/td>\n31,861<\/td>\n5.0<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
1930<\/td>\n32,456<\/td>\n1.9<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
1940<\/td>\n37,438<\/td>\n15.4<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
1950<\/td>\n48,296<\/td>\n29.0<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
1960<\/td>\n74,254<\/td>\n53.7<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
1970<\/td>\n131,889<\/td>\n77.6<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
1980<\/td>\n189,625<\/td>\n43.8<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
1990*<\/td>\n226.374<\/td>\n19.4<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
2000<\/td>\n271,651<\/td>\n20.0<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Est. 2008<\/td>\n293,161<\/td>\n7.9<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n
Sources:\u00a0 http:\/\/quickfacts.census.gov\/qfd\/index.html<\/a>, http:\/\/www.census.gov<\/a><\/address>\n

Projections for growth inside the city limits of Boulder (Area I) anticipate that Boulder will reach \u201cbuildout\u201d in 2035 with a population of 119,400 based on current zoning.<\/p>\n

Table 2.\u00a0 Existing and Projected Housing Units, Population and Employment for the City of Boulder (Area I)<\/h2>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
<\/td>\nExisting 2010<\/td>\nProjected 2035<\/td>\nProjected Buildout<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Housing Units<\/td>\n43,878<\/td>\n49,900<\/td>\n49,900<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Population<\/td>\n103,600<\/td>\n119,400<\/td>\n119,400<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Employment<\/td>\n96,800<\/td>\n116,000<\/td>\n160,800<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n
Source: \u00a0City Staff updates.\u00a0 Note: for Housing Units and Population, projections are based on the assumption that there will be 268 new units per year, which is the historical average(roughly a 1% population growth rate per year). For Employment, projections assume an average annual growth rate of 0.8%.<\/address>\n

If Boulder County does in fact continue to grow, where will all this growth occur?\u00a0 Some people would like to see increased densities inside the City of Boulder.\u00a0 While areas inside the City of Boulder certainly have opportunities for commercial and residential redevelopment, it is interesting to note that with over 4,000 persons per square mile, the City of Boulder is already denser than Denver (3,940 persons per square mile) and is the densest community in the Rocky Mountain west among cities with more than 50,000 people.<\/p>\n

Table 3. Density Comparisons of Towns and Cities in and near Boulder County<\/h2>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
City<\/td>\nArea (sq. mi.)<\/td>\nCurrent Pop.<\/td>\nDensity (persons per sq. mi.)<\/td>\nProjected Population (year)<\/td>\nProjected Density (persons per sq. mi.)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Boulder (Area I)<\/td>\n25.48<\/td>\n103,600<\/td>\n4,066<\/td>\n119,400 (2035)<\/td>\n4,686<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Denver<\/td>\n154.9<\/td>\n610,345<\/td>\n3,940<\/td>\nN\/A<\/td>\nN\/A<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Erie<\/td>\n48<\/td>\n18,150<\/td>\n378<\/td>\n25,650 (2015)<\/td>\n534<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Lafayette<\/td>\n8.9<\/td>\n26,448<\/td>\n2,972<\/td>\n28,385 (2013)<\/td>\n3,189<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Longmont<\/td>\n25.65<\/td>\n86,303<\/td>\n3,365<\/td>\nN\/A<\/td>\nN\/A<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Louisville<\/td>\n7.9<\/td>\n19,004<\/td>\n2,406<\/td>\nN\/A<\/td>\nN\/A<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Lyons<\/td>\n1.2<\/td>\n1,915<\/td>\n1,596<\/td>\nN\/A<\/td>\nN\/A<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Nederland<\/td>\n1.6<\/td>\n1,500<\/td>\n938<\/td>\nN\/A<\/td>\nN\/A<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Superior<\/td>\n4.25<\/td>\n12,500<\/td>\n2,941<\/td>\n17,000 (~2020)<\/td>\n4,000<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n
Sources: Boulder Valley Comprehensive Plan 2010 Trends Report<\/a>, DRCOG<\/a>, City of Boulder 2008 and 2009 Community Data Reports, http:\/\/www.census.gov<\/a><\/address>\n

Boulder\u2019s current population of 103,600 includes 29,000 University of Colorado students.\u00a0 According to the University\u2019s Flagship 2030<\/em>, the student population could grow by another 8,140 students.<\/p>\n

It is also interesting to compare the City of Boulder with other communities across the United States of similar size, student population and political\/environmental orientation.\u00a0 Cities such as Palo Alto, Fort Collins, Madison, Missoula, Boise, and Eugene all have much lower densities than Boulder does.\u00a0 Ann Arbor\u2019s density is approximately the same as Boulder\u2019s.\u00a0 The density figures listed below are night time figures, meaning the density that one would see at the end of normal commute hours.\u00a0 The City of Boulder\u2019s daytime density is higher during the day because the City experiences a net influx of about 40,000 people each day.\u00a0 Boulder\u2019s daytime density could be as high as 6,000 persons per square mile.<\/p>\n

Table 4.\u00a0 Density Comparison between the City of Boulder and Other Similar Communities<\/h2>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
City<\/td>\nArea (sq. miles)<\/td>\nCurrent Population<\/td>\nDensity (persons per sq. mile)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Palo Alto, CA<\/td>\n25.98<\/td>\n60,171<\/td>\n2,316<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Fort Collins<\/td>\n53.38<\/td>\n138,736<\/td>\n2,599<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Madison, WI<\/td>\n84.7<\/td>\n235,626<\/td>\n2,781<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Missoula, MT<\/td>\n23.9<\/td>\n68,202<\/td>\n2,854<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Boise, ID<\/td>\n64<\/td>\n205,314<\/td>\n3,179<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Eugene, OR<\/td>\n40.54<\/td>\n153,231<\/td>\n3,779<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Boulder<\/td>\n25.48<\/td>\n103,600\u2020<\/td>\n4,066<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Ann Arbor, MI<\/td>\n27.7<\/td>\n112,852<\/td>\n4,074<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n
\u20202010 population estimate, all others are 2009 population estimates<\/address>\n
<\/address>\n
Stay tuned for Part 2.\u00a0 Regional Transportation<\/strong>
\n<\/address>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Editor’s note:\u00a0 PLAN-Boulder County has issued a report entitled Does Dense Make Sense? This is the first part in a six part series extracted from the report. Image from http:\/\/www.thepeloton.com\/ […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":105,"featured_media":2145,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[97,160],"class_list":["post-2117","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-featured","tag-density","tag-population-growth"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.boulderblueline.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2117","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.boulderblueline.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.boulderblueline.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.boulderblueline.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/105"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.boulderblueline.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2117"}],"version-history":[{"count":50,"href":"http:\/\/www.boulderblueline.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2117\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2379,"href":"http:\/\/www.boulderblueline.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2117\/revisions\/2379"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.boulderblueline.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/2145"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.boulderblueline.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2117"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.boulderblueline.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2117"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.boulderblueline.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2117"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}