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We now have some concrete data to support our theory that there’s just not as much elbow room in the District as there used to be.
Data released by the Census Bureau shows the Greater Washington metro area is now the sixth-most-populous metro area in the US, leaping past Philadelphia, which fell to seventh place, Washingtonian reports. Population in the DC metro area is just a shade below 6.1 million, and grew by nearly 64,000 residents in 2015 over the previous year.
For comparison’s sake, the City of Brotherly Love comes in at about 6.07 million, and grew by fewer than 17,000 people over the same time frame. New York still tops the list of largest metros—by far—and is followed by Los Angeles, Chicago, Dallas and Houston to round out the top five.
The population spurt in the greater Washington area shows no signs of slowing down either, with some estimates pegging the area’s population to grow to 7 million by 2045, and for DC itself to top 1 million residents. Some changes to the zoning code and 2006’s Comprehensive Plan may be in order to handle the expected growth. [Washingtonian]
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