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The local paper in San Diego has published results which show San Diego has slipped from the 7th largest city in America to the 8th largest. The city still grew but San Antonio grew faster largely because the cost of living in Sd is high so fewer people can afford to move here while the anti-sprawl acts mean that there are few new suburban homes being built in the area (though there are crap loads of redevelopment turning older areas into new high rise apartments).
San Diego has lost its perch as America's seventh-largest city. San Antonio has taken its place.
By Lori Weisberg
UNION-TRIBUNE STAFF WRITER
June 21, 2006
As if federal investigations, the City Hall Strippergate scandal and financial chaos weren't bad enough, San Diego now has lost its perch as America's seventh most populous city.
Dislodging “America's Finest City” from its five-year ranking is San Antonio, home to the Alamo, the Census Bureau reported in new population estimates released today.
It was only a matter of time before San Diego would fall to No. 8, having lost its standing as a population magnet years ago. In 2004 and 2005, the city actually lost population – 8,276 people, to be exact – for the first time this decade. San Antonio, by contrast, grew at a nearly 2 percent clip.
As of last July, San Diego's population was 1,255,240, a mere 969 people behind San Antonio.
San Diego, though, still has its boasts, like the Pacific Ocean, a world-famous zoo, year-round balmy weather and major-league baseball and football teams – at least for now. San Antonio is among several cities courting the Chargers, should the football team pull up stakes from San Diego.
With a potential move in the offing, could it be that the Chargers will find themselves still playing in the nation's seventh-largest city after all?
“I think they'll be playing for the eighth-largest city when all is said and done,” said Mayor Jerry Sanders, who has urged the City Council to allow the Chargers to look elsewhere in the county for a stadium deal.
And there's that little matter of housing prices, which in San Diego have only recently started to flatten after years of double-digit increases.
The median price of an existing single-family home in San Diego is $607,000, more than four times San Antonio's median price of $133,400, according to the National Association of Realtors.
San Diego had been the nation's sixth most populous city five years ago, when it was eclipsed by Phoenix. (Last year, Phoenix had the largest numeric gain in population among all cities, followed closely by San Antonio.)
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Sanders yesterday sought to steer talk of population rankings to what he says is most important: quality of life.
San Antonio and Phoenix aren't exactly overflowing with beaches and bays, the mayor pointed out.
“Obviously, we've got some high housing prices and we've slowed our growth, which has given us a chance to grapple with housing,” he said. “But San Diego is still the best place to live.”
City Councilwoman Toni Atkins, who confesses to having a fondness for San Antonio, said she was disappointed to learn that San Diego was no longer No. 7.
“I like being the seventh-largest city and, moving to eighth, you feel like you've lost a little stature,” Atkins said.
But then again, San Diego still has the best weather and, she whispered, “San Antonio is still Texas.”
In San Antonio, the mayor's office went to great lengths to show some diplomacy in the wake of its new designation.
“It's certainly nice to be moving up on the list, but growth isn't everything,” said J.J. Saulino, spokesman for San Antonio Mayor Phil Hardberger. “They're both great cities, both great places to raise a family, both cities have a military connection and both have great weather.”
Wait a minute. Great weather? San Antonio?
Forecasts called for a high of 91 degrees today with scattered thunderstorms. San Diego is expected to reach a high of 72 under sunny skies.
“Well, we sometimes get up to a 100, but it's a dry heat,” Saulino clarified.
Contributing to the river city's Texas two-step over San Diego was that between 1999 and 2004, nearly 900 more people left San Diego County for Bexar County, home to San Antonio, than came here, according to Internal Revenue Service data.
Making matters worse, the IRS data show that Bexar County netted $11 million more in annual gross income from San Diego County migrants than San Diego collected from the new Texas arrivals.
San Diego's loss of population was not unique in the county, where 14 of the 18 cities experienced similar declines. But cities like Chula Vista, San Marcos and Carlsbad continue to show strong growth, according to the Census Bureau estimates.
Over the past five years, San Marcos grew by 32 percent while San Diego saw a 2 percent gain. And among U.S. cities with populations over 100,000, Chula Vista was the 21st fastest-growing, posting a five-year population gain of 20 percent.
Despite the significant slowdown in growth among many of California's coastal cities, several smaller inland areas are continuing to expand at a robust pace, pointed out demographer William Frey of the Washington, D.C.-based Brookings Institution.
That's certainly true in Riverside County, where San Diegans have headed in droves in search of affordably priced homes. Murrieta's population soared 60 percent over the past five years, while Temecula grew at a rate of 33 percent, according to the Census Bureau.
Ultimately, it comes down to housing costs, Frey said.
“What they (Texas cities) have that coastal California doesn't are economic growth and relatively affordable housing,” he noted. “Texas, in a way, is a comfort zone for people who want to live in the Sunbelt and not deal with punitive housing costs, and I think that's why these cities are showing up this last year near the top.”
Union-Tribune research analyst Danielle Cervantes and staff writer David Washburn contributed to this report.
By Lori Weisberg
UNION-TRIBUNE STAFF WRITER
June 21, 2006
As if federal investigations, the City Hall Strippergate scandal and financial chaos weren't bad enough, San Diego now has lost its perch as America's seventh most populous city.
Dislodging “America's Finest City” from its five-year ranking is San Antonio, home to the Alamo, the Census Bureau reported in new population estimates released today.
It was only a matter of time before San Diego would fall to No. 8, having lost its standing as a population magnet years ago. In 2004 and 2005, the city actually lost population – 8,276 people, to be exact – for the first time this decade. San Antonio, by contrast, grew at a nearly 2 percent clip.
As of last July, San Diego's population was 1,255,240, a mere 969 people behind San Antonio.
San Diego, though, still has its boasts, like the Pacific Ocean, a world-famous zoo, year-round balmy weather and major-league baseball and football teams – at least for now. San Antonio is among several cities courting the Chargers, should the football team pull up stakes from San Diego.
With a potential move in the offing, could it be that the Chargers will find themselves still playing in the nation's seventh-largest city after all?
“I think they'll be playing for the eighth-largest city when all is said and done,” said Mayor Jerry Sanders, who has urged the City Council to allow the Chargers to look elsewhere in the county for a stadium deal.
And there's that little matter of housing prices, which in San Diego have only recently started to flatten after years of double-digit increases.
The median price of an existing single-family home in San Diego is $607,000, more than four times San Antonio's median price of $133,400, according to the National Association of Realtors.
San Diego had been the nation's sixth most populous city five years ago, when it was eclipsed by Phoenix. (Last year, Phoenix had the largest numeric gain in population among all cities, followed closely by San Antonio.)
Advertisement
Sanders yesterday sought to steer talk of population rankings to what he says is most important: quality of life.
San Antonio and Phoenix aren't exactly overflowing with beaches and bays, the mayor pointed out.
“Obviously, we've got some high housing prices and we've slowed our growth, which has given us a chance to grapple with housing,” he said. “But San Diego is still the best place to live.”
City Councilwoman Toni Atkins, who confesses to having a fondness for San Antonio, said she was disappointed to learn that San Diego was no longer No. 7.
“I like being the seventh-largest city and, moving to eighth, you feel like you've lost a little stature,” Atkins said.
But then again, San Diego still has the best weather and, she whispered, “San Antonio is still Texas.”
In San Antonio, the mayor's office went to great lengths to show some diplomacy in the wake of its new designation.
“It's certainly nice to be moving up on the list, but growth isn't everything,” said J.J. Saulino, spokesman for San Antonio Mayor Phil Hardberger. “They're both great cities, both great places to raise a family, both cities have a military connection and both have great weather.”
Wait a minute. Great weather? San Antonio?
Forecasts called for a high of 91 degrees today with scattered thunderstorms. San Diego is expected to reach a high of 72 under sunny skies.
“Well, we sometimes get up to a 100, but it's a dry heat,” Saulino clarified.
Contributing to the river city's Texas two-step over San Diego was that between 1999 and 2004, nearly 900 more people left San Diego County for Bexar County, home to San Antonio, than came here, according to Internal Revenue Service data.
Making matters worse, the IRS data show that Bexar County netted $11 million more in annual gross income from San Diego County migrants than San Diego collected from the new Texas arrivals.
San Diego's loss of population was not unique in the county, where 14 of the 18 cities experienced similar declines. But cities like Chula Vista, San Marcos and Carlsbad continue to show strong growth, according to the Census Bureau estimates.
Over the past five years, San Marcos grew by 32 percent while San Diego saw a 2 percent gain. And among U.S. cities with populations over 100,000, Chula Vista was the 21st fastest-growing, posting a five-year population gain of 20 percent.
Despite the significant slowdown in growth among many of California's coastal cities, several smaller inland areas are continuing to expand at a robust pace, pointed out demographer William Frey of the Washington, D.C.-based Brookings Institution.
That's certainly true in Riverside County, where San Diegans have headed in droves in search of affordably priced homes. Murrieta's population soared 60 percent over the past five years, while Temecula grew at a rate of 33 percent, according to the Census Bureau.
Ultimately, it comes down to housing costs, Frey said.
“What they (Texas cities) have that coastal California doesn't are economic growth and relatively affordable housing,” he noted. “Texas, in a way, is a comfort zone for people who want to live in the Sunbelt and not deal with punitive housing costs, and I think that's why these cities are showing up this last year near the top.”
Union-Tribune research analyst Danielle Cervantes and staff writer David Washburn contributed to this report.
ACK!
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