Town’s Growth No Surprise to Officials

While the latest numbers show the town grew 16.43 percent from the 2000 to 2010 census, officials are not surprised by the number. 

The 2000 census show the town with a population of 8,840 while the number was 10, 292 in the 2010 document. 

First Selectman Richard Barlow, said that with many housing developments being built, especially in the earlier part of the decade, it was no surprise. 

“It show the impact of development over the last several years,” he said. “That number certainly corresponds with the spike in residential development."

In addition, town officials receive projections from the state Office of Policy and Management and others. Their numbers closely matched the census and there were no real surprises, Barlow said. 

Much of that residential building came late in the late 1990s and early 2000s. In 1999, for example, 102 lots were approved, including 83 for Powder Mill Village on Powder Mill Road, according to documents from the town’s planning office. In 2000, more than 185 residential lots were approved, including 71 for Collins Crossing off Huckleberry Hill and 90 for Griswold Farms off Atwater Road. In 2001, 155 lots were approved, including 136 for Evans/Oxbow Ride off Canton Springs Road. 

From there the numbers began to mostly drop. In 2003, 36 building lots were approved and then 22 in 2004. 

In 2005-2006 the town began to keep records by the fiscal year as well. In 2005-2006 fiscal year, 57 single-housing permits were issued, according to the building Department. The following year it was 27. From there, it went to 18 for 2007-08, seven for 2008-09 and 11 in 2009-2010. So far for 2010-11, the number is seven. 

During the time since the last census, the town did become very slightly more diverse. In 2000, 97.15 percent of the population was white while in 2010 it was 95.7 percent. 

The African American population went from 47 to 94 but still accounts for less than 1 percent of the population. The Hispanic population did increase more than a percentage point, going from 113 to 265, to now represent 2.57 percent of the population, up from 1.28 percent. 

The Asian population grew as well from 64 to 155 people, representing 0.723 percent to 1.5 percent of the population. 

The American Indian or Alaskan native portion of the population, while still a tiny 0.045 percent of the population, jumped from a recorded 4 to 26 people.