Portland Area Expecting Another 700,000 People

Revised population growth forecasts show the metropolitan area is expanding faster than expected, with another 700,000 people expected by the year 2015.

Previous projections had put growth at about 500,000 by the same year.

The revised forecast raises the combined population of Multnomah, Clackamas, Washington counties in Oregon and Clark County, Wash., to more than 2.2 million by 2015.

The current four-county population is nearly 1.6 million, a number that also has been adjusted upward.

“The good news is we live in a great place,” said Mike Burton, who heads Metro, a government agency. “The bad news is, can we handle it? Do we have enough sewer systems, water systems? I’m very worried about our transportation system.”