Evergreen State Ever Growing
Washington is among six Western states that have zipped to the top as the nation’s fastest-growing states of the 1990s.
Washington - which gained 666,270 new residents from 1990 to last July - is hot on the heels of Nevada, Arizona, Idaho, Utah and Colorado, according to Census figures released Thursday,
“The Go West movement of the 19th century is still true. The westward movement is continuous and it’s not slowing down,” University of Washington demographer Richard Morrill said.
State officials estimate that by 1999, net migration could hit 77,000. In 1996 alone, the number of people moving into Washington was 50,000 more than those leaving. The total state population as of last July was just over 5.5 million.
“People think life is stodgy, so they want to travel west. It’s a frontier mentality,” Morrill said. The prospect of telecommuting, a growth in early retirement and accessibility to Mother Nature are key reasons that make the West appealing to people from older, more established cities, he said.
Foreign immigration, both legal and illegal, accounted for 13 percent of the state’s population growth since 1990, according to Census estimates. In all, 87,040 more foreign residents reside here than six years ago.
Other experts say the boom can be attributed to a rapidly recovering economy - from Boeing to other high-tech and service industries - that makes the Puget Sound region a hot spot.
According to Census figures, King County’s 1.6 million people make it the 12th most populous county in the nation.
“The economy has shifted from very slow growth to very rapid growth in the last 1-1/2 years. It’s a major draw,” said Dennis Fusco, chief economist with the state Department of Employment Security.
However, some demographers say the growth spurt is right on track with the historic growth rate of 20 percent a decade.
“Our growth goes like a rollercoaster,” said Theresa Lowe, population forecaster with the state Office of Financial Management. “These numbers, with a few little ups and downs, are relatively constant.”
Clark County led the state in rate of population gain, with its population swelling 28 percent since 1990.
The other leading growth counties, according to Census figures, were Mason, Pend Oreille, Jefferson, Stevenson, Douglas and Grant.
xxxx INLAND NORTHWEST Here are populations for Inland Northwest counties in the 1990 Census, estimates for July 1, 1996, and the percentage change.
County 1990 1996 PctChg Adams 13,603 15,254 12.1 Ferry 6,295 7,195 14.3 Lincoln 8,864 9,594 8.2 Pend Oreille 8,915 11,141 25.0 Spokane 361,333 404,920 12.1 Stevens 30,948 38,624 24.8 Whitman 38,775 39,456 1.8