The once-rural town of West Haven is now the state's fastest-growing city, benefiting from an expanded sewer system and enticing people with the promise of no property taxes.
Census estimates show that this burgeoning town west of Ogden grew by 16.6 percent in the most recent one-year figures and now has a population of more than 8,000.
But the latest estimates only account for growth up to July 1, 2008, so the census numbers are before the big Wall Street bailout, the credit crunch and the major housing collapse.
They show the last gasps of a boom time in Utah, especially for St. George in the south and a whole slew of cities along the border of Salt Lake and Utah counties.
Not to mention West Haven.
"In the last six months it has slowed down a ton," said Steve Anderson, the West Haven city planner. And the growth that has taken place has shifted from big fancy homes to small condos, townhouses and apartments.
A number of city leaders are telling a similar story. They experienced monumental growth a few years back and have seen a swift decline in activity recently, with those moving in asking for smaller and cheaper.
"The market is really being driven by price," said Spencer Kyle, assistant city manager for Saratoga Springs.
At the start of the decade, Saratoga Springs consisted of about 1,000 people living on the northern border of Utah County. It now boasts of a population of more than 16,000, according to the new estimates, making it by far the fastest-growing city since the beginning of this decade, with a growth rate of nearly 1,200 percent. Its neighbor Eagle Mountain came in second with a 650 percent growth rate.
But building permits in Saratoga Springs have been cut in half in recent months and while Kyle expects new construction to pick up when the economy rebounds, he says the major boom times are over.
"I think we will continue to see some growth, just not to the levels of 2004 to 2007," he said.
This decade has been good for homebuilders working between Sandy and Orem, which has accounted for more than one-third of the state's entire population growth since 2000. This area dominates the top 10 list of the number of people moving into cities, claiming seven spots. The only other cities to crack the list are St. George, West Valley City and West Jordan.
In the past year, South Jordan has added more people than any other area in the state, largely because of the growth in the Daybreak community being developed by Kennecott.
But South Jordan City Planner Greg Schindler is a little worried about the census numbers. They are calculated using an average household size obtained in the last official count back in 2000. With the growing number of condos and townhouses, he worries that the numbers could be inflated.
"It might be a bit off," he said." We have more one- to two-bedroom units now instead of just four- and five-bedroom homes."
The further away from the official count, the more likely the numbers will be off. The Census Bureau is now preparing for a new count that will take place next year. But until the 2010 census, it is these figures the government will use when determining funding for dozens of programs.
"We hope they are right," said Schindler. The Census Bureau estimates South Jordan's population to be 51,000 people.
The capital is holding steady.
Utah's population grew by nearly 500,000 people since the year 2000. How much of that can be attributed to Salt Lake City?
None.
Salt Lake City actually shrunk by 105 people, according to the latest estimates.
While some areas of the state were booming, the capital lost a few thousand people a couple years ago and then gained them back recently, accounting for a wash so far this decade.
The Census estimate for 2008 is about 181,700. But in just the last year, the city has gained about 2,300 people for a growth rate about half that of the rest of Utah. Salt Lake is still the largest city in the state by far. West Valley City is second with about 122,000 people.
Utah's Dixie
St. George is no longer the king of growth.
Just a couple years ago, St. George was the fastest growing metropolitan area in the state. But now the unofficial capital of Southern Utah and its neighbors have been hit by the same economic hardship that has ravaged the Las Vegas housing market.
The city is still growing, but much more slowly than before.
Its one-year growth rate (2.5 percent) is about average in the state, bringing in an additional 1,700 people, a combination of new births and people moving in to town.
St. George's rise was driven largely by people moving from California and nearby states to snap up large new homes built on the city's outskirts. But housing prices have tumbled in the last year, dropping 13.1 percent, according to a Federal Housing Finance Agency report this March.
That could portend even slower growth in the years to come.
New Orleans, post Katrina
New Orleans is on the rebound
The aftermath of Hurricane Katrina still looms large in New Orleans but the population is continuing its march toward pre-hurricane levels.
The Census Bureau estimates that New Orleans grew by 8.2 percent in 2008, faster than any other large city in the nation. The growth brings its population to about 312,000, still below the 485,000 that lived there in 2000.
The new Census report shows that New Orleans had the seventh-largest numerical increase. As usual, New York City led that list with an additional 53,000 people. New York now has a population of nearly 8.4 million people. The nation's second largest city remains Los Angeles, with 3.8 million.
Source: Census estimate
St. George is no longer the king of growth.
Just a couple of years ago, St. George was the fastest-growing metropolitan area in the state. But now the unofficial capital of southern Utah and its neighbors have been hit by the same economic hardship that has ravaged the Las Vegas housing market.
The city is still growing, but much more slowly than before.
Its one-year growth rate (2.5 percent) is about average in the state, bringing in an additional 1,700 people, a combination of new births and people moving in to town.
St. George's rise was driven largely by people moving from California and nearby states to snap up large new homes built on the city's outskirts. But housing prices have tumbled in the past year, dropping 13.1 percent, according to a Federal Housing Finance Agency report this March.
That could portend even slower growth in the years to come.
New Orleans is on the rebound
The aftermath of Hurricane Katrina still looms large in New Orleans but the population is continuing its march toward pre-hurricane levels.
The Census Bureau estimates that New Orleans grew by 8.2 percent in 2008, faster than any other large city in the nation. The growth brings its population to about 312,000, still below the 485,000 that lived there in 2000.
The new Census report shows that New Orleans had the seventh-largest numerical increase.
As usual, New York City led that list with an additional 53,000 people. New York now has a population of nearly 8.4 million people.
The nation's second largest city remains Los Angeles, with 3.8 million.
Source: Census estimate
The capital is holding steady.
Utah's population grew by nearly 500,000 people since the year 2000. How much of that can be attributed to Salt Lake City?
None.
Salt Lake City actually shrunk by 105 people, according to the latest estimates.
While some areas of the state were booming, the capital lost a few thousand people a couple of years ago and then gained them back recently, accounting for a wash so far this decade.
The census estimate for 2008 is about 181,700. But in just the past year, the city has gained about 2,300 people for a growth rate about half that of the rest of Utah.
Salt Lake City is still the largest city in the state by far. West Valley City is second, with about 122,000 people.
City '08 pop. '07-'08
| 1. | S. Jordan | 51,131 | 3,085 |
| 2. | Lehi | 46,802 | 3,048 |
| 3. | Eagle Mtn. | 22,309 | 2,419 |
| 4. | SLC | 181,698 | 2,265 |
| 5. | W. Jordan | 104,447 | 2,002 |
| 6. | Saratoga Sp. | 16,053 | 1,907 |
| 7. | St. George | 72,718 | 1,736 |
| 8. | Riverton | 39,751 | 1,577 |
| 9. | Draper | 42,317 | 1,536 |
| 10. | Spanish Fork | 31,538 | 1,390 |
The Salt Lake Tribune
City '08 pop. '07-'08
| 1. | W. Haven | 8,357 | 16.6% |
| 2. | Saratoga Sp. | 16,053 | 13.5% |
| 3. | Eagle Mtn. | 22,309 | 12.2% |
| 4. | Harrisville | 6,060 | 11.0% |
| 5. | Gunnison | 3,016 | 10.5% |
| 6. | Plain City | 5,288 | 9.3% |
| 7. | Naples | 1,694 | 8.7% |
| 8. | Santaquin | 8,400 | 8.1% |
| 9. | Nibley | 4,410 | 8.0% |
10.Hooper 5,655 7.9%
Source: U.S. Census
This decade has been good for homebuilders working between Sandy and Orem, which has accounted for more than one-third of the state's entire population growth since 2000.
