ARCHIVES OF THE MAYOR'S WEEKLY COLUMN Archives of Rudolph W. Giuliani

City's Renaissance Spurs Record Population Growth
By Mayor Rudy Giuliani

According to the 2000 Census figures released last week, the population of New York City surged over the past decade to a record 8,008,278 people. This represents the largest enumerated census population in City history. The previous peak was in 1970, when the City's population stood at 7,894,862.

Over the past seven years, polls have consistently shown that people rank New York City as one of the most desirable places in the country to live. Now we have hard evidence of this fact. People from all over the country -- and throughout the world - are voting with their feet and moving to New York City.

For the last two years, Deputy Mayor Rudy Washington, City Planning Commissioner Joe Rose, and numerous City employees worked very hard to ensure the fairest and most accurate count possible. Thanks to their efforts, New York City went above and beyond to identify households that might otherwise have been missed. Their results speak for themselves.

The importance of the census, which is required by the Constitution, cannot be overstated. It is vital to the functioning of our representative democracy and heavily influences our decision--making process. New York City's share of the State's population has risen from 40.7 percent in 1990 to 42.2 percent in 2000. This should translate into increased representation in the State Assembly and State Senate, and should be reflected in legislative redistricting efforts at all levels.

A major reason for our city's increasing population is immigration, which has always been the key to New York City's growth and prosperity. While the largest cities upstate -- including Buffalo and Albany - lost people in the 1990s, nearly 1.2 million immigrants entered New York City in the last decade. The Hispanic and Asian populations are showing tremendous growth, with the former comprising 30 percent of the city's population, and the latter 12 percent.

Overall, the city's population grew by 685,714 persons, or 9.4 percent, over the 1990 count of 7,322,564. Staten Island grew the most, by 17.1 percent for a total population of 443,728. Queens exceeded the two million mark for the first time in a census, reaching 2,229,379, and increasing by 14.2 percent. The Bronx increased by a higher--than--city average of 10.7 percent for a total population of 1,332,650. Brooklyn remained the largest of the city's boroughs with a population of 2,465,326, increasing 7.2 percent. Manhattan's population stands at 1,537,195, growing by 3.3 percent.

Our population boost is helping to revitalize such neighborhoods as the South and West Bronx, East New York, and Central Harlem. Increased residential conversions of what were once commercial buildings is occurring in Lower Manhattan, western Queens and western Brooklyn. We are doing what we can to accommodate all the people who want to come here.

There's no question that New York is in a renaissance as a city. Crime is down, quality of life is up, we have a record number of jobs and a more diverse economy. Our record growth is testimony to New York City's resurgence, a vote of confidence among many who are drawn to the city and the opportunities that it offers.