As population rankings go, San Diego's descent this decade has been swift. First it was Phoenix that knocked the city down a notch from its No. 6 berth, and a few years later along came San Antonio, dislodging it from No. 7. Now, Texas has struck again.
By a margin of fewer than 600 people, Dallas has bragging rights as the nation's eighth-largest city, pushing San Diego to No. 9, according to population estimates released today by the Census Bureau.
As of July 2008, San Diego's population stood at 1,279,329, compared with Dallas' count of 1,279,910. Not since the 1970s has San Diego been ranked as the ninth-largest city.
But Dallas may not be able to gloat for long. San Diego's population last year grew by 1.5 percent — faster than Dallas' 1 percent, suggesting that America's Finest City could easily recapture eighth place if growth continues at a healthy rate.
But Dallas may not be able to gloat for long. San Diego's population last year grew by 1.5 percent — faster than Dallas' 1 percent, suggesting that America's Finest City could easily recapture eighth place if growth continues at a healthy rate.
Credit Dallas officials with last year successfully challenging the Census Bureau's estimate of their city's population by documenting nearly a decade of building-permit activity.
The result is that the bureau's latest estimates show the city's population jumping substantially over the past several years. That means, unbeknownst to Dallas and San Diego, the two had switched places two years earlier.
“Six hundred, that's a small, small difference,” observed demographer Ed Shafer of the San Diego Association of Governments. “San Diego could easily switch back next year. A 1.5 percent growth rate is pretty good.”
As far as Dallas Mayor Tom Leppert is concerned, it's not hard to understand why his city is moving up in the population rankings. Its business climate, he said, is hospitable to companies, its cost of living is reasonable, downtown is enjoying a renaissance, and the city is close to completing a huge arts complex.
“Yes, we're a little short on oceans and mountains, but our quality of life more than makes up for it,” Leppert added.
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