Corridor Communities Among Fastest Growing in Iowa

North Liberty and Shueyville Doubled in Size this Decade

from the Corridor Business Journal 

New population estimates released by the U.S. Census Bureau show three-quarters of Iowa's incorporated places lost population this decade.  The Census Bureau estimated that 700 cities lost population, 228 gained and 18 had no change between April 1, 2000 and July 1, 2008. Iowa's total population was 3,002,555, up 2.6 percent since the 2000 census.

The fastest growing city in Iowa was Waukee in Dallas County, which grew by more than 140 percent in this decade. Three other cities also more than doubled in size: Fairfax in Linn County, and North Liberty and Shueyville in Johnson County. 

Biggest gainers were cities located in metropolitan counties and cities with populations greater than 10,000. Incorporated places in Iowa's metropolitan counties grew by 8.5 percent while those in non-metropolitan areas declined by 4.2 percent. The number of Iowans living in cities larger than 10,000 increased by more than 6 percent, while the population in cities under 5,000 dropped by 1 percent. Cities with populations between 5,000 and 10,000 grew by nearly 3 percent.

The latest estimates show Ankeny with the largest numeric gain among Iowa cities, adding more than 15,000 residents since the 2000 census. Two other Des Moines suburbs, Urbandale and West Des Moines, ranked second and third, posting gains of 9,297 and 9,023 respectively over eight years. At the same time, four of Iowa's nine core metropolitan cities - Des Moines, Dubuque, Sioux City and Waterloo-declined in population since the 2000 census.