New Ulm’s population down slightly in ’08
Albert Lea, Waseca, Fairmont, Austin also lose populationBy Kevin Sweeney Journal Editor
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NEW ULM - The City of New Ulm has lost population since 2000, and from 2007 to 2008, according to figures released by the U.S. Census Bureau.
New Ulm's population was 13,594, according to the 2000 Census. In 2007, the Census Bureau estimated the population at 13,124, and in 2008 it was 13,048. That marks a 4.02 percent drop since 2000, and a 0.6 percent drop in population from 2007 to 2008.
New Ulm City Manager Brian Gramentz said the city has been keeping track of the Minnesota State Demographer's estimates, and he had expected New Ulm would follow the trend from 1990 to 2000, that Brown County stayed about the same in population, but that people were moving from the rural area to the cities.
"We are probably no different than other rural communities in Minnesota," said Gramentz. "People may see opportunities in living in the big cities and other communities, and they follow that opportunity."
One factor in New Ulm's population decline could be enrollment at Martin Luther College, said Gramentz. "Six years ago their enrollment was 1,200. If it is now 900, that's a drop of 300."
Actually, Martin Luther College's student population as of March 31, 2009, was 717, according to the college's web site.
"We'll see what the 2010 Census says," said Gramentz. "That's what's really happening."
The census estimates showed strong growth in the suburbs around St. Paul and Minneapolis.
Among the cities that grew the fastest were Otsego, Hugo, Victoria and Waconia, which all grew by 3.5 percent since 2007.
The state's largest cities - Minneapolis, St. Paul, Rochester, Duluth and Bloomington -all grew a little bit from 2007 to 2008.
Sizeable cities in southern Minnesota that shrank include Albert Lea, New Ulm, Waseca, Fairmont and Austin.
The state grew as a whole by about 38,000, to 5.22 million from 2007 to 2008.
(Information from The Associated Press was included in this report.)
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svensota
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07-02-09 4:36 PM
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Well, all I can say is people know what they have to do in order to increase the population, and it just doesn't seem like they're willing to do it. I'm a little disappointed. Where's the community spirit we used to have, huh?
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