County growth stays high

By Timothy Pratt (contact)

Monday, April 29, 2002 | 11:07 a.m.

Clark County continues to draw newcomers in great numbers, placing in the top 10 counties nationwide in population growth from April 2000 to July 2001, according to a report released today by the U.S. Census Bureau.

From April 1, 2000, when the decennial count was done, until July 1, 2001, Clark County gained 88,888 new residents, placing it fourth in the nation behind Phoenix's Maricopa County, Ariz., and Los Angeles and Riverside counties in California.

Southern Nevada ranked third in the last measure of growth, from the 1990 Census through the 2000 count, behind Maricopa and Los Angeles counties.

The results of the latest estimates -- based on such data as birth and death rates and migration -- did not surprise analysts.

"These reports have not changed a lot for years, since Las Vegas and the metropolitan area remains one of the most attractive places for people to move to," said Keith Schwer, director of the Center for Business and Economic Research at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas.

Van Heffner, president of the Nevada Hotel and Lodging Association, attributed the growth in numbers to the county's jobs, climate and lifestyle.

"Last year we created more jobs than anyone in the country -- 53,000," Heffner said.

He said the opening of the Palms and Green Valley Ranch Station Casino resorts contributed to that number, and projects on the north part of the Strip -- including Steve Wynn's Le Reve -- will help create more jobs in the year to come.

At the same time he acknowledged that growth will stretch resources and services.

"We're going to have pull together and make changes like conserving water," Heffner said.

Jon Wardlaw, assistant planning manager of the Clark County Planning Department, said a decade of growth has given the planning department experience in meeting the need for services such as housing, water, sewer, roads and schools.

"We're pretty well-practiced at it by now," he said.

The benefits or costs of the county's continued growth depend on whom you ask, Schwer said.

"People who are moving in from Southern California, for example, might not see our growing traffic jams as cause for concern, compared to what they're used to," he said. "But people who have lived here 20 years or longer are more of a mixed bag, and include those who find problems with the length of time in traffic and the worsening air quality."

State Demographer Jeff Hardcastle offered another interpretation of how the county's growth relates to quality of life.

"We ought to ask ourselves at some point if the benchmark for success we're creating is people migrating in, or creating a diversity of jobs and a quality of life that will retain people," he said.

The report also measured gains by percent of growth in the 15 months since the census count. Clark County was 46th on that list.

Leading the fastest-growing counties by percentage was Douglas County, Colo., near Denver, which grew 13.6 percent during the last 15 months. Clark County grew 6.5 percent during the same period.

The top 10 counties for growth rate have fewer than a million residents. All but one county that topped growth in numbers had more than 1 million residents.

Clark County has an estimated 1.46 million residents, according to the report..