Boise still tops in state population

BOISE – Boise continues to be by far the largest city in Idaho, and the Capitol City’s metro area continues to be the center of the greatest growth in the state, according to new estimates by the U.S. Census Bureau.

Boise had grown to 198,638 residents by July 1, 2006, up 3,681, or 1.9 percent, since 2000.

But population actually dropped by 647 residents between 2005 and 2006, the bureau said.

In fact, Boise’s smaller neighbors like Caldwell and Eagle, along with Post Falls in the north and Rexburg in the east, have added more people than Boise since the 2000 census, the new estimates showed.

“It doesn’t surprise me a bit that Boise is not growing as much right now,” said Gary Moncrief, a Boise State University professor with expertise in political science and demographics related to the state’s legislative districts.

“Part of it could just be a slowdown in annexation. And I also think it has to do with housing prices … with more affordable housing markets in other areas of the Treasure Valley,” he said.

The estimates cover incorporated cities from 2000 to July 1, 2006, and are put together from a variety of sources.

Still, the latest estimates show Boise is now the 102nd largest city in the nation, just ahead of Spokane, and just behind San Bernardino, Calif.

It is also the only city in Idaho with more than 100,000 people. Two of its suburbs, Nampa (76,587) and Meridian (59,832) are the second and third largest cities in the state. Meridian grew by more than 23,000 residents since 2000, Nampa added more than 22,000 people, and Eagle has also added more than 7,000 people, growing to 18,419, the bureau said.

“Clearly the biggest growth rate in the state is in the Treasure Valley,” Moncrief said.

Rounding out the top 10 largest Idaho cities were Pocatello, Idaho Falls, Coeur d’Alene, Twin Falls, Caldwell, Lewiston and Rexburg.

Caldwell, also in the Boise area, has added nearly 10,000 residents since 2000, growing to 37,056.

Rexburg has added more than 9,000 residents since 2000, growing to 26,657. Moncrief said much of that growth can be attributed to changes at Brigham Young University-Idaho, which transitioned in 2001 from Ricks College, a two-year junior college, to a four-year satellite campus of Provo, Utah-based BYU.

The change bolstered enrollment by about 3,000 students and led to an increase in faculty and staff at the Rexburg campus, said Marc Stevens, university spokesman.

“It seems pretty logical that as the university grew and expanded that it would have an impact on Rexburg,” Stevens said. “The university is very concerned about responsible growth in Rexburg. We want to make sure it happens the right way.”

Post Falls has added more than 7,000 residents, growing to 24,515. Moncrief said Post Falls is experiencing a suburban style of growth, drawing newcomers who work in Spokane or Coeur d’Alene.

By contrast, long-established population centers like Pocatello, Idaho Falls, Lewiston and Moscow showed much less growth since 2000, adding 1,000 to 2,000 people each.

“A lot of that has to do with the nature of the economies in those areas,” Moncrief said. “Those cities are agriculturally based, and aren’t as likely to grow as fast as other areas in the state with more diverse economies based on light manufacturing and technology.”

Nationally, New York continued to be the nation’s most populous city, with 8.2 million residents. Los Angeles was second at 3.8 million.