Neighboring Stafford County, which placed 80th, saw a 51 percent increase. The official 2000 population was 92,446. Other Northern Virginia localities experienced big increases, as well. Loudoun County, with a new official total of 169,599 people, led the pack with a 96.9 percent jump during the 1990s. Virginia legislators ought to take a serious look at the new numbers and resolve to prevent problems caused by rapid growth and development.
Traffic is one of the big issues, of course.
There will never be enough money to build all the roads people think they need, however. The Virginia General Assembly should approach that issue by better managing the way land is used. Traffic is caused by sprawl. It is almost impossible to live in the Fredericksburg area or anywhere in Northern Virginia without a car. Virginia legislators, however, sit back and let the development industry determine the pattern of growth.