Lyon fastest-growing county in state - again

Lyon County recorded the fastest growth rate in Nevada - 9.4 percent in 2005, according to numbers released Wednesday by State Demographer Jeff Hardcastle.

Lyon grew to nearly 49,000, approaching the size of Carson City and Douglas County. The 9.4 percent growth is on top of the county's 8.2 percent growth rate for fiscal year 2004.

But Bob Milz, chairman of the Lyon County Board of Commissioners, said he believes the numbers are too low.

"The demographers are always behind and they always seem to be underestimating," he said. "In 2005, we hit 50,009 people. We have a study that says in 2010 there will be 68,099 people in Lyon County, as opposed to 50,000 last year and that's a 36 percent increase. I think it backs up the fact that we're the fastest-growing county west of the Mississippi."

Milz' figures come from the county's study on growth by fee area, done by BBC Research & Consulting.

Overall, Nevada's population grew by 108,102 persons in the fiscal year ending July 2005, according to estimates by the demographer's office.

Hardcastle said the growth represents a 4.5 percent increase in population - slower than the 5 percent growth rate the year before but still the fastest in the nation.

According to U.S. Census Bureau figures, Nevada has been the nation's fastest growing state for 19 straight years and was home to 2.5 million as of July.

But Hardcastle said the growth is not evenly distributed. By far the largest increase is in Southern Nevada where Clark County added 4.7 percent to its population - an growth of more than 81,000 people.

Neighboring, but much smaller Nye County, grew by 8.2 percent, adding 3,121 people for a total of 41,302 residents.

Western Nevada including Carson City, Douglas, Churchill, Lyon, Storey and Washoe counties, grew by a more conservative 3.8 percent overall - 21,562 more residents - to 583,513 total population.

Carson City grew by 1.7 percent, the same as the previous fiscal year. That is an increase of just under 1,000 residents. Douglas County grew 4.8 percent, passing the 50,000 mark. Storey grew 5.7 percent but that rate added only 215 to its population for a total of 4,012 residents.

The remaining nine rural counties grew by just 2.5 percent overall, increasing 2,376 to a total of 97,675 residents. But Hardcastle said that is a turnaround from the downturn those rural counties experienced the first couple of years this decade and a significant improvement over the 1 percent increase reported in fiscal 2004.

In fiscal 2005, only one county, Mineral, reported a decrease in total population - nine-tenths of a percent, but Eureka County's increase was just one-tenth of a percent - officially, just one additional resident in 2005 for a total population of 1,485.

Washoe County's total population was 396,844, a 3.5 percent, 13,391 person increase over the year.

The estimates are prepared annually and used for purposes including revenue distribution between cities and towns.

-- Contact reporter Geoff Dornan at gdornan@nevadaappeal.com or 687-8750.

On the Net

Detailed demographic information is available at www.nsbdc.org/demographer/pubs

County July '05 Pop Pop Change Percent change

Carson City 57,104 958 1.7%

Douglas 50,108 2,305 4.8%

Lyon 48,860 4,214 9.4%

Storey 4,012 215 5.7%

Churchill 26,585 479 1.8%

Washoe 396,844 13,391 3.5%

Clark 1,796,380 81,043 4.7%

Statewide 2,518,869 108,102 4.5%