State report: Santa Paula inches up the population ladder by 1.4 percent

May 09, 2008
Santa Paula News

Santa Paula inched up the population ladder by 1.4 percent, according to the latest figures released by the California Department of Finance, which states “The Glen City” gained 401 residents in the past year and now has a population of 29,539.

By Peggy KellySanta Paula TimesSanta Paula inched up the population ladder by 1.4 percent, according to the latest figures released by the California Department of Finance, which states “The Glen City” gained 401 residents in the past year and now has a population of 29,539. Overall, Ventura County’s growth - just 1 percent - brought the total population to 831,587, an 8,458 increase.Santa Paula’s neighbor to the east Fillmore had the largest growth surge of 2.9 percent, bringing the town to 15,641 with the addition of 441 residents. Moorpark also barely exceeded the 2 percent mark, adding 769 residents - a 2.1 percent increase - with a population of 36,814. The rest of the county cities grew at a pace below 2 percent, with only one - Port Hueneme - losing 79 residents (-0.4 percent) to the present 22,202.City Manager Wally Bobkiewicz said that Santa Paula’s population increase has been consistent. “I think we’ve seen that level of increase from the state the last couple of years, which represents more the comings and goings of people more than development here,” he noted.
Where there is no development, “You see that measured, small growth.” But that doesn’t mean he agrees with the state figure: “I think it’s probably closer to zero, it’s not wildly scientific” how the state determines population changes, including death and birth records and the issuance of driver’s licenses. “It’s very hard to quantify.”Oxnard, the county’s largest city, stayed that way, adding 2,465 new residents to reach a population of 194,905, a 1.3 percent increase. Four of the county’s 10 cities - Camarillo, Ojai, Ventura, and Thousand Oaks - grew at a rate of 1 percent or less. Statewide, the population grew by 1.3 percent to slightly more than 38 million.According to the State Department of Finance, slow growth is attributable to the steep decline in the construction of single-family housing, last year the lowest number since 2001. And the number of new single-family detached homes occupied in 2007 fell dramatically by 40 percent from 2006.



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