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County's Growth Stirs Glee, Concern; York County Reached a Population of 401,613 in 2004; Wary Eyes Cast on Sprawl.

Posted on: Thursday, 21 April 2005, 00:00 CDT

Although York County's latest population spurt is positive news, its effect on infrastructure and possible sprawl needs to be considered, said some in the local business community.

Their responses came after U.S. Census Bureau estimates showed the county had grown by 6,109 people to reach 401,613 in 2004.

"It sure beats having a declining population," said Tom Donley, president of the York County Chamber of Commerce. "It's hard to improve the community if you don't have growth, so we're in a good location. I think we still have a good quality of life, affordable housing compared to the expense in some of the metro areas. It's important that we have smart growth."

The infrastructure of roads and highways in the county, as well as schools, could feel the weight of more people, said Darrell W. Auterson, president of the York County Economic Development Corp.

"How much is the tax base that they're generating going to offset the community?" he said. "It's not all just positive there are costs associated with population growth. Depending on the areas that are growing, there could be some challenges with sprawl."

Still, Auterson added that an influx of people adds diversity to the county economy.

York County's population growth from 2003 to 2004 represented a 1.5 percent increase. Pike County experienced the state's largest positive percent change with a 3.6 percent increase, bringing its population to 54,117, according to the census.

But in terms of raw numbers, Chester County saw the largest increase in residents, with 7,738 more people in 2004 than the previous year.

Allegheny County saw the largest population decline with 8,309 people leaving.

At least some of York County's population increase can be attributed to residents from states south of Pennsylvania moving north, Auterson said.

"We're seeing migration coming up from the northern Maryland and northern Virginia areas," he said. "It's a trend we will see continue in the future."

Donley hoped that another trend would continue from 2000 Census numbers. That year, York was one of few metropolitan areas in the state whose population of 25- to 35-year-olds grew.

"We're concerned in Pennsylvania about a brain drain, but York was a bright spot in terms of a brain gain," he said. "I'm hoping that we'll see those numbers continuing to grow through the updated census when that comes out."

Reach Andra Maria Cecil at 771-2001 or acecil@ydr.com.

Source: York Daily Record

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