NORMAN — Latest estimates indicate Norman's population has topped 110,000, city planners said.
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Planning manager Doug Koscinski said the number is based on U.S. Census Bureau figures and the number of building permits issued in Norman every year.
"We just do the math. We take the U.S. Census Bureau's figure and use it as a baseline, then look at the number of building permits issued each year and add in about how many people that would be. We also take into consideration the number of vacancies in the city.”
Right now, the planning department is using an official figure of 110,349, said Joyce Green, the city's Geographic Information Systems manager.
"That's the figure we arrived at for 2007, and the figure we will use through December, so it's kind of a moving target. We know it's changed some since January, but we don't know how much,” Koscinski said.
A particularly rapid growth spurt occurred in Norman in the 1970s, Koscinski said. "There was one year we issued 3,000 building permits.”
When growth is that rapid, he said, "it's usually followed by a crash, because the city can't keep pace. We prefer growth to occur at a steadier pace,” he said.
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By the numbers
•In 2007, 496 building permits were issued for single-family homes and another 68 permits were issued for multi-family housing units, Planning manager Doug Koscinski said.
•For the past several years, the city has issued roughly 600 to 700 building permits each year, he added. "Of course, the amount fluctuates and it can increase or decrease in any given year. However, for the past few years it's been pretty steady.”
•Based on recent years, Norman is growing at the rate of about 1,000 people a year, Koscinski said.
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