New Population estimates for Indiana towns and cities (Indianapolis, Fort Wayne: chapel, how much)

[ColdAilment]

Some interesting estimates with a few cities:


https://www.cleveland.com/datacentra...e=&CPIorderBy=


I mostly pay attention to cities in the northern half of the state, along with Indianapolis.


Most notable to me:


These are 2010-2017 estimates:


South Bend grew by over 1,000 people, still sluggish growth, but for a city that lost 6,000 people from 2000-2010 this is a good sign, it shows that change is happening in South Bend, and people are taking notice, finally.



Plymouth lost 73 people. I always thought the economy there was doing pretty well.


Valparaiso gained over 1,600 people, 5.2% growth, a good sign for NWI.


Fort Wayne has gained over 12,000 people since 2010, 4.8% growth, very steady growth.



Goshen grew over 1,500 from 2010 almost 5% growth


Indianapolis gained a whopping 42,000 people, 5% growth.



Kokomo gained 12,368 people, more than Fort Wayne! And grew by 27%!!! What is going on in Kokomo!?


Elkhart grew by 1,600 a little over 3%.



Michigan City lost about 400 people, about 1%


West Lafayette grew by 16,673, over 56% growth. The fastest growing city in Indiana. What is happening there!?


Over all what I am seeing in Indiana is happening across many other parts of the country. The small towns are slowly emptying out, either stagnant or slowly losing people. Most medium to large cities are seeing good growth. Several small cities are seeing very exponential growth. However, almost all of the growth is happening in urban areas.



Please share what you found most interesting about the update on population estimates.

[ColdAilment]

If Zionsville is considered a city, which I think it's more of a suburb personally, then it takes the crown of fastest growing "city" in the State. Over 12,500 people, a growth of 88% in 7 years.

[Toxic Toast]

Originally Posted by ColdAilment

If Zionsville is considered a city, which I think it's more of a suburb personally, then it takes the crown of fastest growing "city" in the State. Over 12,500 people, a growth of 88% in 7 years.

I believe Zionsville officially designates itself as a town.

[Toxic Toast]

If I remember correctly, these estimates were wildly off last go round. I will go ahead and take them with a large grain of salt until given a reason not to. That said, the two things that jump out to me are Kokomo and the Lafayette area. Lafayette saw a 7.8% increase, neighboring West Lafayette and Battle Ground even bigger gains. Kokomo increased over 12,000 people; did they annex a bunch of land? What is going on in Kokomo?

Nothing else really stood out. Indy continues modest city growth with strong suburban growth. Evansville is barely treading water, and Fort Wayne is still steady.

[Serious Conversation]

I can't imagine why Kokomo would grow that much aside from annexation. When did the transmission plant open up there? There's also a prison up the road and AFB that could be growing as employment centers and Kokomo getting spillover residential growth.

[Toxic Toast]

According to this article, the jump from 2010 is in fact annexation related.

[Ivory Lee Spurlock]

West Lafayette is a town that has a big college and most towns that have a big college located in the town have all pretty much been in a constant state of boom for several years. They are often among the fastest growing cities in the state.

Look how much college towns such as West Lafayette and Bloomington, Columbia Missouri, Lexington, Chapel Hill, Athens, Georgia, Boulder, Fayetteville, Ames, Iowa, and others have grown in the past 20 or 30 years or so. Many towns that are not in a large urban area and they don't have a big college, have stagnant or negative growth.

Even Ball State is saving Muncie. If it wasn't for Ball State, Muncie would probably be in the same boat as Flint and Gary. I imagine Notre Dame is helping to keep South Bend afloat and Indiana State is doing the same for Terre Haute.

Most of the growth seems to be in the large urban areas and college towns that are growing the most and the fastest in the Midwest and South and I imagine thru out the rest of the country.

[cdr18]

1) Kokomo = annexation. Continue to lose population in the years to come.
2) South Bend = slow growth. Will continue with help from Notre Dame. Backbone of the Michiana economy. Blessed to have Elkhart County nearby for manufacturing.
3) Goshen = moderate growth. IMO, Goshen has the best planning commission around. One of the best run cities in Indiana. Smart, practical planning.
4) Elkhart = slow growth and will continue. Elkhart has a thriving business climate, but the economy ebbs and flows. Around the city, there is much residential growth, just not particularly "in" the city.
5) West Lafayette - Thankful for Purdue U, and I would consider a suburb of Lafayette.
6) Muncie and Anderson - Will continue to lose population at a moderate rate. Anderson better hope that urban sprawl from Indy makes them relevant again.
7) NW Indiana - Usual towns will have slow to moderate growth.
8) Fort Wayne = Look for them to grow significantly due to be a major hub for the region. Smart development occurring downtown. I think of them trying to be like Grand Rapids eventually. Not a major city, but a large regional city that attracts people from all over.
9) Warsaw = Moderate to fast growth. Orthopaedic industry is thriving. Retail is thriving down there as well.
10) Plymouth - Stagnation. The reason for this is they're too far from a major city, but yet also they've lost some key employers over the past few years even after the recession. They are also too far away from the booming RV industry to make that commute daily.
11) Small towns that aren't near larger cities are going to continue to struggle.

[ColdAilment]

Originally Posted by cdr18

1) Kokomo = annexation. Continue to lose population in the years to come.
2) South Bend = slow growth. Will continue with help from Notre Dame. Backbone of the Michiana economy. Blessed to have Elkhart County nearby for manufacturing.
3) Goshen = moderate growth. IMO, Goshen has the best planning commission around. One of the best run cities in Indiana. Smart, practical planning.
4) Elkhart = slow growth and will continue. Elkhart has a thriving business climate, but the economy ebbs and flows. Around the city, there is much residential growth, just not particularly "in" the city.
5) West Lafayette - Thankful for Purdue U, and I would consider a suburb of Lafayette.
6) Muncie and Anderson - Will continue to lose population at a moderate rate. Anderson better hope that urban sprawl from Indy makes them relevant again.
7) NW Indiana - Usual towns will have slow to moderate growth.
8) Fort Wayne = Look for them to grow significantly due to be a major hub for the region. Smart development occurring downtown. I think of them trying to be like Grand Rapids eventually. Not a major city, but a large regional city that attracts people from all over.
9) Warsaw = Moderate to fast growth. Orthopaedic industry is thriving. Retail is thriving down there as well.
10) Plymouth - Stagnation. The reason for this is they're too far from a major city, but yet also they've lost some key employers over the past few years even after the recession. They are also too far away from the booming RV industry to make that commute daily.
11) Small towns that aren't near larger cities are going to continue to struggle.

Brilliant breakdown. Agree with the above 100%

[Serious Conversation]

Eventually, I think Anderson will start getting some spillover from the Noblesville area. The last Noblesville exit to the first Anderson exit is just twelve miles. My ex-girlfriend lived there, and I spent a lot of the year. I actually found it quite peaceful and nice.