Utah is number one

Subject: Utah is number one Sat Jan 10, 2009 5:48 pm

Now the fastest growing State.
From Yahoo
The populations of these states are growing the fastest, even in slow economic times.

What a difference a year makes.As of July 1, 2007, Nevada
was the fastest-growing state in the country. With a population of over
2.5 million, the Silver State flourished because of continued real
estate development in its marquee city, Las Vegas. But all that came to a screeching halt in 2008.In Depth: America's Fastest-Growing States

The credit crisis forced the country into a recession, and overdeveloped cities like Las Vegas--where the majority of Nevada's population lives--were hit the hardest.For
nearly 20 years, construction projects like Boyd Gaming Company's
Echelon Place--a collection of new hotels, casinos and restaurants that
broke ground in 2007--continuously attracted new workers, meaning
steady growth for the state's population. But now the Echelon
development is running a year behind schedule--just one example of the
lost jobs and opportunities facing the area today.While still
seeing an increase larger than 42 of its counterparts, Nevada dropped
from No. 1 to No. 8 on a ranking of America's fastest growing states,
with 1.79% year-over-year increase from 2007 to 2008. Today, an
estimated 2.6 million people reside in Nevada.It's the similar story in other states, but not to quite the same extent.Behind the Numbers

To
determine America's fastest-growing states, we looked at census
population estimates from July 1, 2008--released today--and compared
them with census population estimates from July 1, 2007. Those states
with the biggest year-over-year percentage increase grew the fastest.This year the leader was Utah, with a 2008 population of 2.6 million and a year-over-year increase of 2.53% from 2007. Following Utah were Arizona and Texas, with increases of 2.31% and 2%, respectively.The
top two have starkly different reasons for their rankings atop the
chart. For Utah, the population increase can be attributed to a baby
boom: 40,000 were born there over the past year. With an increase of
about 60,000 people in the area, that means in-migration--or people
moving into the state from somewhere else--accounts for a small
fraction of the overall population boost.Arizona, however, can
attribute its jump to the housing boom that only went bust over the
past two years. From 2000 to 2008, the state's population increased by
26.7%. While that pace may now slow because of the dismal economy, the
state was able to keep up growth from July 2007 to July 2008.The only two states to lose population were Michigan and Rhode Island.
Michigan's population declined 0.5%, while Rhode Island's fell 0.2%.
Michigan's reliance on the failing auto industry and Rhode Island's
housing bust are behind the declines.On Track For Big Growth

While
Utah's, Arizona's and Texas' increases are bigger than any others in
the country, they still seem miniscule when considering that the
current world population increases by about 80 million people per year,
according to the United Nations.However, population expert Dr.
Werner Fornos, who heads up Global Population Education (GPE), says
that these seemingly small percentages are quite significant. GPE is a Basye, Va.-based nonprofit that studies demographic trends."We're growing faster than most developed countries," says Fornos. "We expect to reach 600 million people by the year 2100."According
to Fornos, that's not due to a disproportionately large number of
births, like in Utah. Most states are growing because of immigration,
like Texas, whose close proximity to Mexico helped its population
increase by 16.7% over the last year.Following The Work

Of course, jobs are also a major factor."States
with the best economies are the magnets," says Fornos. For example,
North Carolina's bustling industries--including biotech and
pharmaceuticals--will allow the state to gain 1.3 million people
between 1995 and 2025, according to the U.S. Census.But other states see increases from those wishing to slow down. States like Wyoming,
with an increase of 1.8% over the last year, will continue to welcome
those looking to retire to a more sprawling space. (The state's 97,000
square miles only house about 530,000 people at present."When people turn 65, they're moving into places like Wyoming and Montana because they're no longer dependent on the daily rat race," says Fornos.Aside
of jobs and space, however, Fornos says there's a bigger issue that
will affect the populations of certain states, especially many of the
ones growing the fastest: water."States like Nevada, Arizona and New Mexico
have seen significant drops in water supply," says Fornos. "Maintaining
a sustainable lifestyle will be the main concern for those living in
those states."