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New population estimates for California show the population is up slightly, by 67,000 residents, to 39,128,162, reversing three years of much-ballyhooed decline.
Take that, Golden State haters — among whom are Californians rooting for their own state to fail. Go figure.
The Inland Empire is contributing to that population growth. It’s what we do best.
You wouldn’t know our impact from most of the outside news coverage of the numbers, which as usual downplays the IE in favor of L.A. Let me correct that lapse.
Riverside County, with 2.4 million people, had a 0.6% growth rate in 2023, adding 13,798 people. That was the largest numerical gain among the 10 counties with a population above 1 million. San Bernardino County, with 2.1 million people, added 8,739, a 0.4% growth rate.
That’s all according to the California Department of Finance, which releases its population estimates every May 1. The numbers are as of Jan. 1, 2024 and track changes since Jan. 1, 2023.
I always like looking at the local city-by-city numbers. It can be easy to forget how large some of our cities have become.
The numbers may really disorient anyone who’s lived here for decades and remembers when some of our cities were rural, not urban. Or who still hasn’t grasped that Eastvale and Jurupa Valley are incorporated cities.
Let me first list all the Riverside County cities of 100,000 or above, in descending order: Riverside, 316,690; Moreno Valley, 207,146; Corona, 156,615; Menifee, 111,560; Murrieta, 109,177; Temecula, 108,700; and Jurupa Valley, 104,721.
The smallest is Indian Wells at 4,797. You could find some elbow room there.
Here’s the same list for San Bernardino County: San Bernardino, 226,541; Fontana, 214,233; Ontario, 181,224; Rancho Cucamonga, 173,316; Victorville, 138,202; Rialto, 103,097; Hesperia, 100,087. Welcome to the 100,000 club, Hesperia.
When I lived in Victorville in the mid-1990s, the population was 65,000. To find that it’s more than doubled is my own disorientation.
In these new rankings, Victorville was No. 8 in numeric change in the state by adding 1,856 residents in 2023. Menifee came in at No. 3 with 2,159 newcomers.
Needles, by contrast, is San Bernardino’s smallest city at 4,769. That’s down 11 people from the previous year. I hope Needles threw them a going-away party.
Over in the sliver of eastern Los Angeles County that might be the Inland Empire, Pomona now has a population of 152,166, up 0.7% from the previous year.
Pomona remains L.A. County’s seventh-largest city, ahead of Torrance, Pasadena and Downey. And yet it’s perpetually overlooked, overshadowed and underrated — except in my column.
Taking a geographically expansive view that includes Pomona and the high desert, the Inland Empire now has 15 cities above 100,000 population.
Let’s return to Riverside — as if we ever truly leave. As careful readers discerned, Riverside is by far the Inland Empire’s largest city, as ever.
In fact, Riverside (316,690) is California’s 12th-largest city, right behind Stockton (317,204) and just ahead of Irvine (314,550).
Riverside and Stockton are both adding people at a good clip, but a mere 514 residents separate No. 12 from No. 11. Riverside is so close, Stockton might request a restraining order.
Meanwhile, San Bernardino is No. 18, with Moreno Valley, Fontana, Ontario and Rancho Cucamonga also in the Top 30.
The IE has six of California’s 30 biggest cities? Not bad. Not enough to get any respect or attention, but not bad.
David Allen, who is neither coming nor going, writes Sunday, Wednesday and Friday. Email dallen@scng.com, phone 909-483-9339, like davidallencolumnist on Facebook and follow @davidallen909 on Twitter.
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Courtesy : https://www.pressenterprise.com/2024/05/12/inland-empire-population-is-still-rising-in-2024-like-it-or-not/