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06-22-2006, 03:47 PM
San Antonio up to seventh on list of largest U.S. cities
By Elizabeth White / Associated Press Writer
June 22, 2006
Posted 2:55 p.m. SAN ANTONIO — It's cowboys over sunbathers, the Alamo over that "world-famous" zoo and the Spurs over the Chargers.
Population estimates released this week by the U.S. Census Bureau show San Antonio is now larger than San Diego — by just 969 people — and has leapfrogged to seventh on the list of the 10 largest U.S. cities. San Antonio's overtaking of San Diego was the only change among the top 10, the figures show.
San Antonio's population of 1,256,509 leaves it far behind Houston, the fourth-largest city in the nation and home to 2,016,582. Dallas is in ninth place with 1,213,825 people.
But the city-population estimates for July 1, 2005, are just that. Firmer figures won't be out until the 2010 Census, considered a complete count of the U.S. population.
As far as metropolitan areas go, San Antonio's is way down the list at No. 29, with Dallas-Fort Worth, Houston and San Diego all ahead of it.
Still, said Texas state demographer Steve Murdock, "San Antonio has the economy to support the growth and the physical space to offer expansion."
San Antonio Mayor Phil Hardberger said the city's growth was a double-edged sword.
"It's a good problem to have, but it's a problem," he said. "Getting bigger is not as much of a challenge as getting better."
He said the city is falling behind on the amount of green space it offers, has to work to maintain social services and education, and is concerned about other urban problems.
On the upside, Joe Krier, president and chief executive of the Greater San Antonio Chamber of Commerce, said being one of only a handful of cities with more than 1 million people helps lure businesses.
"The good news of it is, it gives increased attention to our city when we are selling the city ... when we are visiting with people we want to move here," Krier said.
He noted that San Antonio has never really been a manufacturing city but nevertheless has attracted a Toyota plant, set to open this year, and the thousands of jobs that come with it.
Barbara Johnson, president of the San Antonio Conservation Society, said the need for bigger and better infrastructure can encroach on history and amenities like parks.
"We know that growth is inevitable," she said. "It's how we manage that growth so we don't look like every other city in America."
San Antonio's downtown area is already distinguished by the River Walk, a series of restaurants, shops and stone pathways that line the winding San Antonio river. The city is considering blocking some chain businesses to maintain the River Walk's look. Just blocks away stands the Alamo, more than 200 years old.
San Antonio's growth has swung up and down since its start in the early 1700s, said James Schneider, associate professor of history at the University of Texas-San Antonio. The city was once the biggest in Texas and remained so into the 20th century. But then San Antonio "lost its edge, he said, and fell behind, while Houston and Dallas reaped benefits from the growing oil industry.
The beginning of the resurgence can be attributed primarily to the HemisFair in 1968 that brought the city the Tower of the Americas and broadened the tourism base here, Schneider said.
Murdock said the number of people migrating to San Antonio from inside and outside the U.S. hasn't changed significantly in the past 15 years and the city's new growth hasn't been dependent on international immigration.
"San Antonio is an old Hispanic city," he said of the city that is more than two-thirds Hispanic. "This is one of the oldest cities in the country."
Elsewhere in Texas, Fort Worth, Denton, Killeen and Grand Prairie are also on a list of the 25 fastest-growing cities with populations over 100,000.
Austin, in 16th place, Fort Worth, in 19th place, and El Paso, in 21st place, round out the Texas cities among the 25 largest. Texas has more cities on the top 25 list than any state.
The 10 largest cities in the U.S., based on population estimates for July 1, 2005.
1. New York, 8,143,197
2. Los Angeles, 3,844,829
3. Chicago, 2,842,518
4. Houston, 2,016,582
5. Philadelphia, 1,463,281
6. Phoenix, 1,461,575
7. San Antonio, 1,256,509
8. San Diego, 1,255,540
9. Dallas, 1,213,825
10. San Jose, Calif., 912,332
Other Texas cities in the top 25:
16. Austin, 690,252
19. Fort Worth, 624,067
21. El Paso, 598,590
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Source: U.S. Census Bureau
___
On the Net:
U.S. Census Bureau: http://www.census.gov/
City of San Antonio: http://www.sanantonio.gov/
By Elizabeth White / Associated Press Writer
June 22, 2006
Posted 2:55 p.m. SAN ANTONIO — It's cowboys over sunbathers, the Alamo over that "world-famous" zoo and the Spurs over the Chargers.
Population estimates released this week by the U.S. Census Bureau show San Antonio is now larger than San Diego — by just 969 people — and has leapfrogged to seventh on the list of the 10 largest U.S. cities. San Antonio's overtaking of San Diego was the only change among the top 10, the figures show.
San Antonio's population of 1,256,509 leaves it far behind Houston, the fourth-largest city in the nation and home to 2,016,582. Dallas is in ninth place with 1,213,825 people.
But the city-population estimates for July 1, 2005, are just that. Firmer figures won't be out until the 2010 Census, considered a complete count of the U.S. population.
As far as metropolitan areas go, San Antonio's is way down the list at No. 29, with Dallas-Fort Worth, Houston and San Diego all ahead of it.
Still, said Texas state demographer Steve Murdock, "San Antonio has the economy to support the growth and the physical space to offer expansion."
San Antonio Mayor Phil Hardberger said the city's growth was a double-edged sword.
"It's a good problem to have, but it's a problem," he said. "Getting bigger is not as much of a challenge as getting better."
He said the city is falling behind on the amount of green space it offers, has to work to maintain social services and education, and is concerned about other urban problems.
On the upside, Joe Krier, president and chief executive of the Greater San Antonio Chamber of Commerce, said being one of only a handful of cities with more than 1 million people helps lure businesses.
"The good news of it is, it gives increased attention to our city when we are selling the city ... when we are visiting with people we want to move here," Krier said.
He noted that San Antonio has never really been a manufacturing city but nevertheless has attracted a Toyota plant, set to open this year, and the thousands of jobs that come with it.
Barbara Johnson, president of the San Antonio Conservation Society, said the need for bigger and better infrastructure can encroach on history and amenities like parks.
"We know that growth is inevitable," she said. "It's how we manage that growth so we don't look like every other city in America."
San Antonio's downtown area is already distinguished by the River Walk, a series of restaurants, shops and stone pathways that line the winding San Antonio river. The city is considering blocking some chain businesses to maintain the River Walk's look. Just blocks away stands the Alamo, more than 200 years old.
San Antonio's growth has swung up and down since its start in the early 1700s, said James Schneider, associate professor of history at the University of Texas-San Antonio. The city was once the biggest in Texas and remained so into the 20th century. But then San Antonio "lost its edge, he said, and fell behind, while Houston and Dallas reaped benefits from the growing oil industry.
The beginning of the resurgence can be attributed primarily to the HemisFair in 1968 that brought the city the Tower of the Americas and broadened the tourism base here, Schneider said.
Murdock said the number of people migrating to San Antonio from inside and outside the U.S. hasn't changed significantly in the past 15 years and the city's new growth hasn't been dependent on international immigration.
"San Antonio is an old Hispanic city," he said of the city that is more than two-thirds Hispanic. "This is one of the oldest cities in the country."
Elsewhere in Texas, Fort Worth, Denton, Killeen and Grand Prairie are also on a list of the 25 fastest-growing cities with populations over 100,000.
Austin, in 16th place, Fort Worth, in 19th place, and El Paso, in 21st place, round out the Texas cities among the 25 largest. Texas has more cities on the top 25 list than any state.
The 10 largest cities in the U.S., based on population estimates for July 1, 2005.
1. New York, 8,143,197
2. Los Angeles, 3,844,829
3. Chicago, 2,842,518
4. Houston, 2,016,582
5. Philadelphia, 1,463,281
6. Phoenix, 1,461,575
7. San Antonio, 1,256,509
8. San Diego, 1,255,540
9. Dallas, 1,213,825
10. San Jose, Calif., 912,332
Other Texas cities in the top 25:
16. Austin, 690,252
19. Fort Worth, 624,067
21. El Paso, 598,590
___
Source: U.S. Census Bureau
___
On the Net:
U.S. Census Bureau: http://www.census.gov/
City of San Antonio: http://www.sanantonio.gov/