Montgomery Reaches 1 Million Population Mark
Montgomery County has surpassed the 1 million population mark, according to U.S. Census numbers released Thursday.
The Montgomery County Planning Department announced the news in a press release today. The data shows the state’s largest jurisdiction since 1989 reached a population of 1,004,709 last July thanks to a population burst of 13,000 people between July 2011 and July 2012.
Most of that increase came from births. In that period, 13,097 births exceeded 5,467 deaths, meaning a net increase of more than 7,600 people. The rest of the increase that put Montgomery over the 1 million mark comes from 8,700 people moving into the county. Data shows 3,100 people moved out.
The population increase, though not quite at the pace of growth of the previous three years, of course means more pressure on the Planning Department, which monitors and studies the county’s infrastructure as well as making land use determinations.
“We’ve planned for our population to increase,” acting planning director Rose Krasnow said in the release. “Years ago, we set up tools to preserve our agricultural land and maintain our single-family neighborhoods. More recently we have created many mixed-use, multi-family housing opportunities in our downtowns or near Metro.”
On a very local level, the growth has meant a surging elementary school-aged population, which has MCPS planning an addition to Bethesda-Chevy Chase High School and some residents wary of the county’s methods for gauging population.
The D.C. region reached a population of 5.8 million with the addition of close to 90,000 people, according to the data.
Morning Notes
Opposition Brewing To Lockheed Hotel Tax Break Bill — A group of Annapolis lawmakers has come out against a proposal that would exempt Lockheed Martin’s corporate training center and hotel in Bethesda from Montgomery County’s hotel tax. Senators have delayed a floor vote and are seeking a compromise, perhaps by leaving the $1.8 million tax refund to Lockheed out of the bill. [Maryland Juice]
Millenials Do Live Here, And About Where You’d Expect — A look at the Census numbers from Just Up The Pike/Friends of White Flint/Greater Greater Washington blogger Dan Reed shows Montgomery County does have its fair share of 25-34 year olds and most live around transit in areas such as Bethesda and Silver Spring. The issue of attracting millenials to the county has become a big talking point as County Executive Isiah Leggett and Councilman Hans Riemer prepare a “Night-Time Economy Initiative” aimed at the demographic. [Just Up The Pike]
Report: MCPS Achievement Gap Widens On AP Tests, SAT/ACT — A report from the county’s Office of Legislative Oversight shows the school system narrowed the achievement gap between students of different races and income groups in many areas, but that gap widened when it came to advanced state and national tests. [The Gazette]
Nominations Open For 2013 Community Action Awards — Nominate someone you know who has helped those in poverty for one of the two awards from the Montgomery Department of Health and Human Services’ Community Action Awards. [Montgomery County Health and Human Services]
Flickr photo by ehpien
Bethesda Area Boasts Highest Ratio of Single Women To Single Men In the Country
Just in time for Valentine’s Day, real estate website Trulia.com has determined which areas boast the highest ratios of single women and single men and Bethesda stands out.
The Bethesda-Rockville-Frederick metropolitan district (as defined by the Bureau of Labor Statistics) has the highest ratio of single women to single men in the country, according to the study, which estimates there are 1.2 single women living alone in the area for every single male.
To come up with the figures, author Jed Kolko first looked at the number of men and number of women not living in dorms, group quarters or other institutions together in large groups. He then subtracted Census estimates of the gay and lesbian population to focus on men and women interested in dating someone of the opposite sex. He also subtracted people older than 65.
East coast power centers are traditionally home to higher ratios of single women to single men.
Washington, DC-VA-MD-WV has the second highest ratio, with 1.12 women living alone per man living alone. Boston, New York, NY-NJ and Raleigh, NC round out the top five.
Kolko’s research shows three Bethesda zip codes with 10 percent to 25 percent more single women than single men. The zip code with the highest ratio of single women to single men in Washington was 20008, which covers upper NW along Connecticut Avenue.
Image via Trulia.com
Morning Notes
Friendship Heights, Bethesda Lead County In Transit Commuting — Based on the U.S. Census American Community Survey, Friendship Heights, downtown Bethesda and Grosvenor see some of the highest rates of residents who commute to work via mass transit. Forty percent or more of employed adults in those census tracts use transit. [Just Up The Pike]
Metro’s Cracked Rail Problem — The cracked rail last week near the Bethesda Metro station was No. 26 of the year for Metro and caused single tracking delays between rush hour. Yesterday, a rail cracked near the Friendship Heights Metro station. [Washington Examiner]
Photos From Big Train Holiday Auction — The annual fundraiser for the nonprofit Bethesda Big Train summer college baseball team was Sunday and included appearances from baseball reporter Tim Kurkjian and Washington Nationals utility man Steve Lombardozzi. [Big Train]
Flickr photo by Jason A. Photography
As County Gets More Diverse, Bethesda Doesn’t Change Much
As Montgomery County has become a majority-minority county, Census numbers released last week show Bethesda hasn’t contributed much to the area’s shifting demographics.
The U.S. Census Bureau released its American Community Survey five-year estimates from 2007 to 2011 on Thursday, which showed the population of white people in Bethesda was actually higher than estimated in the 2010 Census, though the statistics were collected differently.
According to the Survey, the total population was 58,661 compared to 60,858 in the 2010 Census. Nearly 80 percent of that population was white, 9 percent asian, 6.5 percent Latino and 2.9 percent black, according to the Survey. The 2010 Census showed 77.8 percent of Bethesda’s population was white.
In Montgomery County as a whole, whites accounted for 50 percent of the population compared to nearly 60 percent in the 2000 Census. Unemployment in the county was at 4.2 percent. In Bethesda, the Survey estimated unemployment at 4 percent.
Other trends in the study included a majority of the population enrolled in school were in pre-kindergarten, kindergarten or elementary school (classified as grades 1-8), coinciding with an expected surge in high school students and causing MCPS officials to plan accordingly. More than 53 percent of enrolled students have yet to enter high school.
The study also shows that of 30,703 Bethesda workers age 16 and older, 58 percent drive alone, 16.6 percent use public transportation, 6.6 percent carpool and 5.7 percent walk to work.
North Bethesda’s population of 40,970 did not yet show any signs of increasing as the significant development in White Flint ramps up. The 2010 Census estimated North Bethesda’s population at 43,828.
Flickr photo by Steve Unlikely!
Morning Notes
Bethesda Row Salon Opening Next Month — Drybar, the California-based blow dry only hair salon, will open in Bethesda Row (4840 Bethesda Ave.) late next month. The Bethesda location began taking appointments yesterday. [Bethesda Magazine]
Montgomery Makes List of Top 10 Most Affluent Counties — New Census numbers have Montgomery County back in the top 10 most affluent counties in the U.S. Montgomery dropped out of the top 10 in 2010. The study measures median household incomes. Seven of the top 10 counties are in Washington D.C. area. [Washington Post]
Tater Tot Happy Hour at Food, Wine & Co. — Food, Wine & Co. (7272 Wisconsin Ave.) is running a tater tot happy hour this month. Customers can get the restaurant’s signature tots for $1 at the bar from 4:30 p.m. to 6 p.m. [Washington City Paper]
BOE Seeks Student Election Aides — The Montgomery County Board of Elections is looking for students, grades 6-12, to help serve as election judges during November’s Presidential General Election. Students are placed in neighboring precincts according to their home address and can receive Student Service Learning hours. [Montgomery County]
Flickr photo by Andrew-Benson
