GRAVETTE -- Northwest Arkansas, Benton and Washington counties in particular, is expected to reach a milestone later this year, according to information from Mike Malone, President/CEO of the Northwest Arkansas Council. The Council is a non-profit organization committed to sustaining and improving Northwest Arkansas as a great place to live and conduct business by collaborating with business and civic leaders, Chambers of Commerce and other stakeholders to improve the area.
The milestone? According to a release by Malone for the Council, the population of the area is expected to reach a half-million people "by the end of summer, 2014."
To those who have lived in the area all their lives, or even for just a few years, the growth in recent years is hard to imagine. Except, that is, when they just look around and especially when they experience the bumper-to-bumper traffic snarl that is becoming more and more common.
The increase has been dramatic, particularly during the past 30 years. Washington County, for example, boasted a population of 100,494 in 1980. That figure more than doubled to 203,065 according to 2010 census figures.
Benton County, which has moved up, passing Washington County as the second most populous county in the state (second behind Pulaski County), has showed an even greater growth since 1980. The county's population that year was 78,115. It ballooned to almost a quarter million, 221,339, in the census completed four years ago in 2010.
And the growth hasn't stopped. According to the Council, 23 new residents call the two-county area home each day and at the end of February this year, the population had reached an estimated 496,000.
It will reach 500,000, the half-million mark by the end of this summer, the Council predicts.
"It's something to celebrate," Malone said. "People are moving here because we have a great economy. They see opportunity here."
The council used census numbers to estimate the area's growth: 23 people each day; 13 in Benton county, 10 in Washington county. "It's grown our whole economy and it's raising our economic standards in the region across the board. A half million residents, to someone who grew up here, I didn't see that day coming," Malone added.
Malone noted that companies searching for new homes sometimes look at regions over a certain size; sometimes the cutoff is a half million, but he added "we're already enjoying the benefits of a bigger population. There's so many things to do. A lot more people here give you more arts and cultural opportunities, more retail offerings and just more job opportunity."
Long-term population comparison figures
Following is a brief history of population growth for the two-county area, as reported by the U. S. Census.
1830: Before Arkansas became a state, Washington County 2,182; Benton County 0.
1840: Four years after Arkansas became a state in 1836, Washington County 7,148; Benton County 2,228.
1900: Washington County 34,256; Benton County 31,611.
1910: Washington County 33,889; Benton County 33,389. The only year Washington County showed a population loss.
1950: Following WWII, Washington County 49,979; Benton County 38,076.
1960: Washington County 55,797; Benton County 36,272. The only year Benton County showed a population loss.
1990: Washington County 113,409; Benton County 97,499.
2000: Washington County 156,715; Benton County 153,406
2010: Washington County 203,065; Benton County 221,339. Benton County moves ahead of Washington County as growth in both counties continues.
General News on 03/26/2014