Opinion ID: 1106817
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: the city's alleged need for expansion

Text: The evidence depicted the history of the City's development from a mere hamlet with six families in 1822 until the present time. There has been a remarkable increase in population since 1920, when, with an area of 5.5 square miles, there were 22,817 people in the City. With an area of 15 square miles, the 1930 census showed the population to be 48,000. Without change in area, in 1940, 62,107 were enumerated. After an extension of boundaries in 1949 to embrace 27.2 square miles, the census of 1950 showed the population to be 98,271. During the last five decades, the number of persons per acre has been relatively  constant. Reasonably accurate estimates indicated that the present population, with the extended limits as proposed, will aggregate in excess of 154,000. The consensus of expert opinion was that, for the period of 1960 to 1970, the increase in population will be the greatest of any decade in the history of the country. The large number of war babies, born during and immediately following World War II, will become of marriageabls age, with the resulting formation of multiplied thousands of families. All of the reasonable indicia point to an increase in the population of the City and its environs, during the next ten years, of approximately 75,000 persons; and of this increase, approximately 13,000 to 14,000 will be settled within the north-northeast area.