I asked the ECO webmaster for some information about eastern Ellis County towns’ populations as of 2007.
This stuff is interesting:
The population of Palmer was 1,774 in 2000 and was estimated as 1,950 in 2007. This is approximately a 10% increase in seven years. For comparison, the population of Waxahachie increased by 30% in those seven years, Ennis by 17%, Midlothian by 85% (yes, it’s nearly doubled), and Red Oak by 109% (yes, it’s more than doubled, and nearly tripled since 1990).
For further comparison, the population increases in smaller cities, since Palmer is a smaller city, are as follows. The population of Ferris (geographically close and also on I-45) has increased approximately 4%, figures for Garrett, Bardwell, Milford, Alma, and Maypearl are not available, Italy by 8%, Oak Leaf (about the same population as Palmer) by 28%, and Ovilla (about twice the population) by 12%.
Analysis shows that the larger cities are growing faster, but the effect may be also geographically-based, not just population based, because Oak Leaf, between Waxahachie and Red Oak, has a high rate of increase. Ennis is the most slowly growing of the large cities. Each of the large cities has essentially moved up a level. Ennis is now nearly as populated as Waxahachie was in 2000, Midlothian is nearly to where Ennis was, and Red Oak is past where Midlothian was in 2000. Also, Ovilla is just 500 short of where Red Oak was in 2000.
Analysis also shows that Midlothian and Red Oak are growing at excessive rates. There less information about smaller cities, but based on the information available, it appears smaller cities, other than Oak Leaf, are growing more slowly. Of the cities for which information is available, Ferris has the lowest rate of increase and Ovilla has the highest. Population estimates for Maypearl and Bardwell, cities not on Interstate or major highways, are not available.
3 Comments
February 24, 2008 at 8:46 pm
Joey,
An interesting number would be how much did each city gain thru annexation. I would bet Red Oaks numbers would blow your mind!
February 24, 2008 at 9:15 pm
I, the compiler of this information, wanted to know those numbers, but the information does not seem to be readily available.
The 2007 estimated population densities were available, but the 2000 measured population densities, and the city areas, were not.
The 2007 information has two factors, population and density, available, and the other factor, area, can be calculated. The 2000 information has only one factor, population, available, and the other two factors cannot be calculated based on the one available.
I’m not particularly good with math. I don’t know how to estimate the population and population density of the area of the city as it existed in 2000 with any accuracy and without unreasonably uncertain assumptions. We would need that information, which I don’t know to be readily available, to estimate the population and population density of the areas annexed in the time period under consideration, and to estimate the proportion of population increase (and population density change) caused by annexations
February 25, 2008 at 9:00 am
A good rule of thumb with fast growing home rule cities is about 20% from annexation. That would hold true for Red Oak, Waxahachie, and Midlothian as much of their annexations was of raw land, and very little was existing homes.
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