South O.C. Cities Post Big Growth in Population

Fueled by a booming economy and reputations as family-friendly communities, several South County cities experienced major population growth in the 1990s, according to federal census data released Wednesday.

Lake Forest and vicinity led the way, posting 42% growth over the decade to 79,923 residents. Irvine followed with a 23.7% jump to 136,446 residents; Mission Viejo’s population rose 20.1% to 95,440. All three cities were among the fastest-growing of any in California.

City officials attributed the spurts to the increasing numbers of businesses locating in South County as well as the quality of public schools and proximity to parks and other recreational areas.

“Why wouldn’t you come?” said Lake Forest City Councilwoman Marcia Rudolph, who promptly ticked off the reasons why her city is attractive to new residents. “Our schools are excellent, our crime rate is low, we’ve got concerts in the park, a 4th of July parade that’s absolutely as American-apple-pie as you can get, we’re centrally located and family friendly. People are coming for all the right reasons, and I say, ‘Come one, come all.’ ”

Rudolph and others stressed that the surge was far from unexpected, given that the communities each have long-term master plans that govern development patterns. Moreover, the cities are among the few areas of Orange County with raw land still available for development.

Growth in older parts of the county was markedly slower, according to the Census Bureau. Anaheim’s population rose 10.8% to 295,153, followed by Huntington Beach, which rose 7.6% to 195,316, and Santa Ana, which rose 4.1% to 305,955.

The findings were part of a national report by the Census Bureau measuring population patterns from 1990 to 1998. While the Los Angeles area experienced modest growth over the decade, some of its neighbors--Las Vegas and Phoenix, in particular--recorded large increases, the report found.

Phoenix was the nation’s fastest-growing big city, with a 21% increase that boosted its population to almost 1.2 million during the period. Across the country, however, smaller cities like Irvine, Mission Viejo and the Lake Forest area grew faster than the bigger ones, according to federal researchers.

The local boom in new development is being met with concern from some South County residents, who say the latest census numbers only underscore fears that future growth could mean the loss of precious open space.

George Gallagher, president of the Irvine Conservancy environmental group, said he is worried about the city’s ability to handle much more development, especially in environmentally sensitive areas.

“When a city grows as fast as this one is growing,” Gallagher said, “you have to move fast to accommodate it. I think the city is moving as fast as it can.”

Over the last year, some Irvine residents have united to oppose several planned developments in the hilly areas on the outskirts, saying the new homes will bring traffic congestion and ruin the rustic atmosphere.

City officials acknowledge the concerns but said Irvine’s master plan calls for significantly slower growth in the next two decades.

“It always creates issues when people who live here turn around and it seems everywhere they look they’re facing construction,” said Sheri Vander Dussen, the city’s director of community development.

“We have lots of roads being torn up and widened and lots of areas formerly used for agriculture where we’re now seeing homes coming up out of the ground,” she added. “Obviously that arouses some people’s emotion because one of the reasons they moved here was for the open space.”

Over the next 20 years, Irvine’s population is expected to rise from 136,446 to about 157,000, according to county projections. Mission Viejo and the Lake Forest area have far less developable land left in their city limits and are expected to grow at a much slower pace.

Mission Viejo Mayor Sherri M. Butterfield said her city’s growth had been slowing until recently, when it was spurred by the improving economy.

Although the increasing population has created traffic problems at times, Butterfield said the city is dealing with them. “We’ve needed to make adjustments,” she said. “We’ve recently finished coordinating our traffic lights to assist the traffic flow.”

The population jump recorded for the Lake Forest area comes two months after a state study found slower growth in the city itself. The Census Bureau placed the Lake Forest area’s population at 79,923--20,000 more than the state report. It’s unclear whether the Census Bureau used different boundaries.

The opening of several toll roads through Mission Viejo, Irvine, the Lake Forest area and other South County cities has also been a magnet for new growth. The toll roads helped connect the region to the rest of the county, making it easier for South County homeowners to commute to jobs in the central county and beyond, experts said. Moreover, the new roads have lured new companies to South County, which has traditionally been a bedroom community.

Commercial growth has been especially strong in the Lake Forest area, where several industrial and office developments were built in the last three years.

Vander Dussen, the Irvine planner, attributed her city’s robust growth in part to expansions at UC Irvine and the concentration of high-tech and telecommunications companies in the area. But she and others said excellent schools and low crime are probably what lure families to Irvine.

“It’s the weather, the location, the good schools,” said Irvine Mayor Christina L. Shea. “We’re very close to the beach and we have the reputation of being one of the best places to raise a family.”

Other California cities that experienced significant population growth between 1990 and 1998 include Temecula, 62.9% to a population of 44,271; Fontana, 25.4% to 109,777; Lancaster, 21.8% to 118,518; Moreno Valley, 21.7% to 144,613. Corona’s population grew 48.6% to 112,815; Palmdale’s swelled 36.6% to 100,157.

Henderson, Nev., had the largest growth among cities over 100,000--a 135% increase that pushed its population to 152,717.

San Diego, which has never wanted to be like traffic-clogged Los Angeles, became a bit more like it. Among cities of more than a million, San Diego was the third-fastest growing, after Phoenix and San Antonio.

San Diego grew 9.9% between 1990 and 1998 and remained America’s sixth-largest city, with just over 1.2 million people--just 22,602 more than Phoenix.

Los Angeles, with a 3.2% increase that boosted its population to about 3.6 million in 1998, remained the nation’s second-largest city behind New York City, which has more than 7.4 million residents.

Rounding out the nation’s 10 most populous cities were Chicago (3), Houston (4), Philadelphia (5), San Antonio (8), Dallas (9) and Detroit (10).

San Jose, with a 10.1% increase to 861,284, remained the nation’s 11th-largest city.

San Francisco, with a 3% increase to 745,774, overtook Indianapolis and Baltimore to become the 12th-largest city.

Long Beach, which has worked hard to gain recognition, gained a scant 0.4% to reach a population of 430,905, and dropped from the 32nd-biggest city to 35th, surpassed by Tucson, Kansas City and Virginia Beach, Va.

But Long Beach remained California’s fifth-largest city.

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Cities on the Rise

Phoenix and San Antonio were the nation’s fastest-growing cities with populations of 1 million or more between 1990 and 1998, according to U.S. population estimates. Smaller cities generally grew at a faster rate than larger ones, the Census Bureau reported.

Fastest Growing U.S. Cities with Populations of 1 Million or More in 1998, Ranked by Growth Rate

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1998 estimate 1990 % increase 1. Phoenix 1,198,064 988,015 21.3 2. San Antonio 1,114,130 976,514 14.1 3. San Diego 1,220,666 1,110,623 9.9 4. Houston 1,786,691 1,654,348 8.0 5. Dallas 1,075,894 1,007,618 6.8

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Fastest-Growing California Cities (more than 100,000 population)

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1998 estimate 1990 % increase 1. Corona 112,815 75,943 48.6 2. Palmdale 100,157 73.314 36.6 3. Fontana 109,777 87,535 25.4 4. Irvine 136,446 110,330 23.7 5. Lancaster 118,518 97,300 21.8 6. Moreno Valley 144,613 118,779 21.7 7. Bakersfield 210,284 176,264 19.3 8. Oceanside 152,367 128,090 19.0 9. Chula Vista 160,553 135,160 18.8 10. Rancho Cucamonga 120,047 101,409 18.4

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Source: U.S. Census Bureau