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San Antonio is 7th
largest city in the nation |
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New figures released by the U.S. Census Bureau place San
Antonio as the seventh largest city in the country with
more than 1.2 million people, overtaking San Diego by
969 people.
Austin ranked 16th with about 690,000 people.
Since 1990, San Antonio's population has grown rapidly,
with more than 25 percent of the population coming to
the city in the last 16 years.
Mayor Phil Hardberger supported the city's growth, but
encouraged cautious vigilance, said spokesman J.J.
Saulino.
The city could not merely rely on the growth as a figure
to live off of and remain stagnant, he said.
"Moving up on the list of the largest cities is great
because it makes even more families and businesses want
to live here in the great city of San Antonio," Saulino
said. "That only means quality of life here has to be
that much better."
Saulino cited several reasons for the city's growth,
including new housing developments along the Loop 1604
roadway and new neighborhoods on the west side of the
city toward Briggs Ranch. New business developments,
such as Washington Mutual's employment of 4,000 San
Antonio residents, also bring new people to the city, he
said.
"Here in San Antonio, we're looking to get data
processing centers and high-tech industries," Saulino
said. "Our population growth and low cost of doing
business allows us to draw those kinds of businesses
in."
With any kind of growth in a city comes the issue of the
water usage.
The Edwards Aquifer Authority, which oversees water
distribution for the city, rations certain amounts to
different areas and stops water for certain uses during
critical periods such as droughts.
"One of our main issues of concern is how population
growth affects the recharge zone," said Roland Ruiz,
spokesman for the aquifer authority. "Development can be
one of the main factors in blocking a recharge zone,
which can have devastating effects on our water supply."
Allie Keip, a communication sciences and disorders
junior from San Antonio, said she was surprised because
she always thought of the city as a "small town."
The population of greater Austin has grown by nearly 50
percent in the past 15 years, shooting up by more than
600,000 people, according to the Greater Austin Chamber
of Commerce.
"The main problem with Austin's growth is urban sprawl,"
said economics professor Daniel Hamermesh who
specializes in demography.
Urban sprawl refers to urban areas characterized by
similar looking buildings, expansive communities and
cars becoming a necessity rather than a luxury.
"Sprawl's happening in a lot of places like Phoenix and
New York," Hamermesh said. "It's a complicated issue,
but generally it makes cities harder to get around and
thus function less efficiently."
By Daniel Stone |
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