Fort Worth's 2005 Population

[Willy1]

For whomever might be in control of updating FW's population on the main thread/sub-forum, FW's new 2005 population is 618,600. Just thought I'd bring it to the forum's attention so it could be updated.

[Houston19514]

source?

[WestGrayGuy]

That seems like a huge increase in 5 years... 83,906 people.

[Willy1]

That number is correct... FW is one of the fastest growing cities with a population over 500,000 according to both the US Census Bureau and the North Central Texas Coucil of Governments. The Census B. list FW at 603,000 plus, but that's for 2004. The N. Central Texas Coucil of Goverments has a more recent count of 618,600 for 2005. Fort Worth has been adding about 20K +/- a year for several years now... last year FW added 21,500. So, adding over 80,000 in 5 years isn't that big of a deal in FW. The 2000 Census ranked Fort Worth as the 27th largest U.S. city. As of 2003 or 2004 FW is ranked 19th. In Fact, FW is growing so fast that the NCTCOG's is having to adjust previous population estimate that predicted that FW would be nearing a population of 850K by 2030 because FW is now predicted to pass that population much sooner.

Since 2000 FW has passed Milwaukee, Boston, Washington, DC, El Paso, Seattle, Denver, Nashville, and Charlotte. And, Memphis and Baltimore will be next. In the next 5 years, FW will probably pass Austin and possibly Columbus if current growth continues - which is it expected to...

Here are my sources.

http://www.nctcog.org/ris/population/index.html

http://www.dfw.com/mld/dfw/news/local/12022865.htm

http://www.census.gov/statab/ccdb/cit1020r.txt

[RedScare]

Damn, somebody get that city a football team!

Oops. They already did.

Good to see Foat Wuth doing so well. Other than Houston, the finest place I've ever lived. Those numbers are stunning, though.

[DrkLts]

Looks like while everyone been so focused on Dallas, Fort Worth will be the next city that everyone will be talking about when it catches up to or passes up Big D in a few decades. lol

[Willy1]

^ Yep. Things have been growing like crazy in FW the last few years and it's just getting started. FW is predicted to surpass Dallas eventually, according to some experts. However, it's not going to take a FEW decades. Maybe 2 at the most. And, with the addition of the Trinity River Vision in FW, things are only going to excellerate in the next few years. FW will probably reclaim the title of 4th largest city in Texas before the end of the decade since Austin is slowing/shrinking now. Another thing to keep in mind. FW's population predictions do not include annexation number... FW does not include those in projections/estimates. Those numbers probably won't be reflected until 2010. Even scarier - FW is only 50% built out... and has first rights to annex more than double the current city square mile land mass. Looks like FW is following Houston's philosophy when it comes to growth...

I wish FW had a football team - that bad boy went to Arlington so FW can't claim it. Arlington is another city that is about to boom thanks to the Cowboys. They're already approaching 400,000. But, when the Super Bowl comes to Arlington, FW will definitely get the spill over from it.

[YakuzaIce]

Well if the number on the frontpage is 2000 they probably want to keep it as the true counts and not estimates. But yeah the numbers are looking good for FW. But regarding it passing Dallas, any predictions past 5 years seem hard to believe as many things can change in that time.

[Willy1]

Well if the number on the frontpage is 2000 they probably want to keep it as the true counts and not estimates.  But yeah the numbers are looking good for FW.  But regarding it passing Dallas, any predictions past 5 years seem hard to believe as many things can change in that time.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Very true... but FW has done a great job diversifying their economy, unlike some cities that have based their local economies on single sectors such as technology (Richardson and Austin). Fort Worth is also home to XTO Energy and the Barnett Shale - one of the worlds largest natural gas reserves which is just starting to pump incredible amounts of money into the FW economy... (XTO has purchased several key downtown FW buildings and is currently considering building a new 50+ story tower) FW also has Alliance Airport which is driving growth in the Northern part of the city. Downtown is a model for downtown revitalization/redevelopment. And the Trinity River Vision is set to start construction as early as next year. When the Trinity starts to transform, it is predicted to escalate growth in the city at an unpredictable rate. FW is out-pacing Las Vegas in growth... and the reason for it is as diverse as the economy. That is the sort of thing that has experts saying that FW is just starting what is going to be a very long and very fast period of growth. All indicators point to the fact that FW will continue to grow at AT LEAST it's current rate for decades to come.

But, you are right - all those things could change and FW could stop growing. It's just not likely.

[DrkLts]

Since 2000 FW has passed Milwaukee, Boston, Washington, DC, El Paso, Seattle, Denver, Nashville, and Charlotte. And, Memphis and Baltimore will be next. In the next 5 years, FW will probably pass Austin and possibly Columbus if current growth continues - which is it expected to... 

You forgot to mention FW is ALSO now bigger than Atlanta and Las Vegas. Hard to believe tho, but it's true. I looked it up...shocked

[Willy1]

You are correct, but FW has been larger than Vegas and Atlanta for a very long time. Here is the list of the top 50 U.S. Cities....

1 New York city New York 8,104,079

2 Los Angeles city California 3,845,541

3 Chicago city Illinois 2,862,244

4 Houston city Texas 2,012,626

5 Philadelphia city Penn 1,470,151

6 Phoenix city Arizona 1,418,041

7 San Diego city California 1,263,756

8 San Antonio city Texas 1,236,249

9 Dallas city Texas 1,210,393

10 San Jose city California 904,522

11 Detroit city Michigan 900,198

12 Indianapolis city Indiana 784,242

13 Jacksonville city Florida 777,704

14 San Francisco city California 744,230

15 Columbus city Ohio 730,008

16 Austin city Texas 681,804

17 Memphis city Tennessee 671,929

18 Baltimore city Maryland 636,251

19 Fort Worth city Texas 603,337 ('00=534,694, '05=618,600)

20 Charlotte N Carolina 594,359

21 El Paso city Texas 592,099

22 Milwaukee city Wisconsin 583,624

23 Seattle Wash 571,480

24 Boston city Mass 569,165

25 Denver city Colorado 556,835

26 Louisville Kentucky 556,332

27 Washington DC 553,523

28 Nashville-Davidson Tennessee 546,719

29 Las Vegas city Nevada 534,847

30 Portland city Oregon 533,492

31 Oklahoma City city Oklahoma 528,042

32 Tucson city Arizona 512,023

33 Albuquerque NMexico 484,246

34 Long Beach city California 476,564

35 New Orleans city Louisiana 462,269

36 Cleveland city Ohio 458,684

37 Fresno city California 457,719

38 Sacramento city California 454,330

39 Kansas City city Missouri 444,387

40 Virginia Beach city Virginia 440,098

41 Mesa city Arizona 437,454

42 Atlanta city Georgia 419,122

43 Omaha city Nebraska 409,416

44 Oakland city California 397,976

45 Tulsa city Oklahoma 383,764

46 Miami city Florida 379,724

47 Honolulu CDP Hawaii 377,260

48 Minneapolis city Minnesota 373,943

49 Colorado Springs city Colorado 369,363

50 Arlington city Texas 359,467

[LTAWACS]

It's a bigger town than I thought.

[bigboyz2004]

Isn't it true that the D/FW metro area population has exceeded 6,000,000. If so that's crazy growth.

[YakuzaIce]

Isn't it true that the D/FW metro area population has exceeded 6,000,000. If so that's crazy growth.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Yes I believe it was estimated at over 6 mil a few months ago.

[RedScare]

The US Census estimates DFW to be 5.8 million as of July 2004. However, the NTCOG, DFW's government planning group, estimated 6 million in 2005.

[Willy1]

Yes, the DFW metro population officially passed 6 Million at the end of last year. The 5.8 million pop estimate was from either Jan 04 or July 04. We officially passed the 6 million mark as of Jan 05. DFW has has added over 150K per year for many years now. We may have even added closer to 200K per year in the last few years. DFW is exploding in population. DFW is expected to double in size in the next 30 years.

[DrkLts]

Whoa!

[Casual Observer]

Which part of the Metroplex is seeing the most growth annually?

[RedScare]

From the looks of the numbers that are being posted, it would appear Ft Worth and Tarrant County is growing fastest right now. This may be because FW has more room to grow on its North, West and Southwest sides.

[Casual Observer]

(Still referencing Fort Worth) Is it suburban growth like here in Houston, or is it more inner-city development & infill?

[RedScare]

I would say it is the same. While downtown and neartown areas are getting some great infill projects, especially on the near westside, the majority of growth is still in the burbs, especially up north near Alliance Airport. FW has also done some annexing to account for some of the growth.

[Willy1]

Just providing information from a native Fort Worthian here.... The growth in FW is not from annexation. FW has done some annexing, but those numbers are not counted by the census bureau or the NCTCOG's population estimates. I don't know why, or when they'll add those numbers but from what I understand they're not included yet. I read something once on the Census bureau website that said something about population gains from annexation not counting in population estimates. The growth FW has experienced has all been within the city limites. You are correct, however, in stating that a lot of FW's growth is in the Northern sector near Alliance - but that is inside the FW city limits. You're also correct that FW has expaned the city limits by annexing a lot of previously unincorporated land/small cities. The city limits now stretch all the way into Denton County in the North, Parker County to the west, and Johnson County to the South. FW's eastern-most city limit touches the Dallas County line just south of DFW airport, North of Arlinton. FW also has extra territorial jurisdiction over more than 300 square miles of unincorporated land just outside the FW city limits. If FW annexes that land it would literally double the land size of FW. Before that undeveloped land can be gobbled up by suburbs, FW has the 1st option of annexing the land. Unlike Dallas, FW is far from landlocked. Instead, FW has managed to landlock the suburbs in a way by "calling dibs" on the land surrounding the suburbs. So for example, before Burleson or Benbrook can annex land, FW has the option of annexing it first - which they are doing because it cost more to bring previously developed land up to city code once it's annexed. They're annexing unincorporated land so that it is developed according to city codes rather than having to be brought up to code later.

As for the core development, the central core is experiencing a lot of growth as well.... There are all sort of infill projects just around the corner. A lot of developers are sitting on projects until they see what is going to happen with the Trinity River Vision plan. There are already developers snatching up land all along the Trinity River in anticipation of what is going to be built there.... If you haven't seen the TR Vision plan definitely go look it up. It's going the make the River Walk in San Antonio look small. They've already opened the white water course inthe wester section of the river and the approval for the TRV is being rushed.... Construction is supposed to begin as early as 2006. Once that is underway you're going to see an explosion of growth in the city center - including new high rises. XTO energy is already considering a new 50+ story tower in central downtown, and there is a residential development for 50+ stories on the drawing board. I've hear that is going to go up next to the new Pier 1 building along the river....

[AlcazarSpyder04]

That number is correct... FW is one of the fastest growing cities with a population over 500,000 according to both the US Census Bureau and the North Central Texas Coucil of Governments. The Census B. list FW at 603,000 plus, but that's for 2004. The N. Central Texas Coucil of Goverments has a more recent count of 618,600 for 2005. Fort Worth has been adding about 20K +/- a year for several years now... last year FW added 21,500. So, adding over 80,000 in 5 years isn't that big of a deal in FW. The 2000 Census ranked Fort Worth as the 27th largest U.S. city. As of 2003 or 2004 FW is ranked 19th. In Fact, FW is growing so fast that the NCTCOG's is having to adjust previous population estimate that predicted that FW would be nearing a population of 850K by 2030 because FW is now predicted to pass that population much sooner.

Since 2000 FW has passed Milwaukee, Boston, Washington, DC, El Paso, Seattle, Denver, Nashville, and Charlotte. And, Memphis and Baltimore will be next. In the next 5 years, FW will probably pass Austin and possibly Columbus if current growth continues - which is it expected to... 

Here are my sources.

http://www.nctcog.org/ris/population/index.html

http://www.dfw.com/mld/dfw/news/local/12022865.htm

http://www.census.gov/statab/ccdb/cit1020r.txt

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

How can Fort Worth outgrow Austin when Austin is the 3rd fastest growing city in the nation? Austin currently has 831,562 people! Plus check Google it says Fort Worth is at 534,694 The metro has 1.5 million u can check the Austin Convention & Visitors Bureau site. Austin is just greener, cleaner, and has alot of opportunity and colleges in it. In order for Fort Worth to out grow it needs an additional 250,000 people. thats impossible. Here is the list of fastest growing cities in the US.

1. Round Rock, TX - population of 71,136

2. Laredo, TX - population 213,176

3. Austin, TX - population 831,562

4. Las Vegas, TX - population 478,434

[RedScare]

According to the US Census, Austin's estimated population is 652,896.

http://factfinder.census.gov/servlet/ADPTa...oRow=1&-format=

Fort Worth's estimated population is 624,942.

http://factfinder.census.gov/servlet/ADPTa...oRow=1&-format=

I realize these numbers are as of July 1, 2004. I also realize that NTCOG estimates Ft. Worth to be much higher. However, you have to compare apples to apples. In other words, if the Census underestimated Fort Worth, it likely underestimated Austin, as well.

Alcazar, you often quote the higher 831,000 figure, but you are giving the Travis County population estimate. The Census estimate for Travis County is 848,649.

http://factfinder.census.gov/servlet/ADPTa...oRow=1&-format=

Tarrant County is estimated at 1,563,744.

http://factfinder.census.gov/servlet/ADPTa...oRow=1&-format=

[JasonDFW]

How can Fort Worth outgrow Austin when Austin is the 3rd fastest growing city in the nation? Austin currently has 831,562 people! Plus check Google it says Fort Worth is at 534,694  The metro has 1.5 million u can check the Austin Convention & Visitors Bureau site. Austin is just greener, cleaner, and has alot of opportunity and colleges in it. In order for Fort Worth to out grow it needs an additional 250,000 people. thats impossible. Here is the list of fastest growing cities in the US.

1. Round Rock, TX - population of 71,136

2. Laredo, TX - population 213,176

3. Austin, TX - population 831,562

4. Las Vegas, TX - population 478,434

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

According to the population estimates I use, 46 cities grew faster than Austin from 2000 to 2004. Fort Worth was one of them. Fort Worth gained 59,000 people and Austin gained 18,000.

The estimate I use are here:

http://proximityone.com/plc04.htm

I'm not sure how your numbers are so mixed up. You've got a 2000 number for Las Vegas, then a new estimate for Laredo, then a county number for Austin, then an estimate somewhere between 2000 and 2004 for Round Rock.

Jason

[Willy1]

How can Fort Worth outgrow Austin when Austin is the 3rd fastest growing city in the nation? Austin currently has 831,562 people! Plus check Google it says Fort Worth is at 534,694

[NewMND]

Wow, two Texas cities in the 5 fastest growing category, neat. I know the Dallas area now has an estimate of 6 million, but what about the Houston area, does it have 5 million yet? more?

[tamtagon]

Wow, two Texas cities in the 5 fastest growing category, neat.  I know the Dallas area now has an estimate of 6 million, but what about the Houston area, does it have 5 million yet? more?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I think the Houston Metro estimate is around 5.4/5.5 million???? Not too sure.

Interesting, somewhat unsettling observation of Fort Worth's population growth: many of the new residents commute to a Dallas County job center like Las Colinas, Stemmons Corridor or the Dallas Central Business District. This pattern is expected to remain for several years, too. Unquestionablly, Fort Worth is a city with its own character and urban energy, but statistically, an increasing percentage of the people in Fort Worth (not just Tarrant County anymore) are classified as residents of suburban Dallas. In the Metroplex, not so many of the non service industry jobs are showing up in Tarrant County, and that's not positive - but not necessarily bad - news, IMO, for the quality of life in DFW.

[2112]

I think a negative FW has going for it is its ample land to grow. It's great for controlling housing costs, but not so good to encourage tight, high-density high-rises and mid-rises, which is what many of us want for a more itense urban feel. I hope FW can be clever and encourage high-density development, while somehow allowing the growth on it's outskirts also.

[mike]

I lived in Houston where I was studying the real estate market, then took a job in Las Colinas. I then spent months studying the Dallas real estate market. In the last couple of weeks, I have turned my attention to Fort Worth. And I like what I see.

The city has a vibe like early 80s Austin, before the development. They have revitalized their downtown thanks to the contributions of the Basses and other wealthy local benfactors.

Many of its older business buildings downtown are intact as is much of it's older centrally located housing stock. New townhomes downtown generally go from $300K to $500K, yet more affordable 80-year-old houses remain in the Fairmont Historic district which lies just a couple of miles south of downtown.

West of downtown lies the cultural district with the zoo, parks and great museums. That's also where much residential redevelopment is ocurring.

Check out this photograph of an old Montgomery Wards to the immediate west of downtown: http://www.emporis.com/en/il/im/?id=178398 . Today, they have restored that building, renamed it Montgomery Plaza, and put a five or six story hole in the middle to open it up, http://www.emporis.com/en/il/im/?id=426397 which creates more opportunities for street level retail. The upper floors will be apartments. The hole leads to what looks like a bland suburban strip center in the back, but that center contains a SuperTarget, which = an urban grocery store.

Fort Worth encourages these types of developments, what they call "urban villages," by special tax and rezoning packages. They also have a model blocks program that awards substantial money to neighborhoods to make improvements. In their poorest areas, the city is actually building single family housing because the private sector would too often build shoddy homes that quickly became undesirable.

Both Dallas and Fort Worth have a Trinity River Plan that is supposed to transform the river into a great amenity. But already that is more viable in Fort Worth, which sits on a bluff overlooking the winding river. They have miles of paved trails beside the river now. By contrast, Dallas sits below their levees and the Trinity runs straight beside it, not unlike a giant drainage ditch or a big bayou like in Houston.

Fort Worth's plan, which the Army Corps of Engineers just approved a couple of weeks ago, is to tear down their levees. They would instead cut a flood control channel just outside downtown to the north. What this would do, is create an 800-acre island beside downtown that would no longer be flood prone, making it ripe for dense development. It would also give them a stretch of river to develop in manner that has been described as "the Riverwalk on steroids." Oh, and in the process, they would create a lake between downtown and the island. Construction begins this year, and it will take about 8 years to complete.

A study from a few years back showed the average major city only had 15% vacant space. Fort Worth had 43%. Only Phoenix had more. Dallas is blocked from future growth by Richardson, Plano and other outlying areas. As a result, they have seen much of their tax base move and take root in outlying areas. That won't happen to Fort Worth, they are free to annex approximately 350 square miles - which is more area than the city presently encompasses.