ARIZONA DAILY STAR: Thurs., March 22, 2007
Population likely to pass Pima's in 20 to 30 years
By Tony Davis
Pinal County, now the United States' sixth-fastest-growing county, will likely surpass Pima County's population in 20 to 30 years, officials said Wednesday.
A heftier supply of developable land, lower housing prices, a brighter water picture and looser development rules are likely to boost Pinal over Pima, officials in the two counties said.
Pinal, whose growth includes spillover from Tucson and Phoenix, grew by nearly 13% in the year ending last July 1. Its population is up more than 50% since 2000.
Pinal still has a long way to go. It has about 300,000 people while Pima has more than 1 million, according to state and local estimates. But Pinal could catch up by 2025, forecasters said. Pima County will have about 1.48 million people, while Pinal will have at least 750,000 and as many as 1.4 million by then.
Such an increase isn't inconceivable given the rapid buildup of homes approved for future construction there, local planners say. Pinal County has approved 830,000 new homes, and work has begun on 157,000.
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