Simplify the following text for a Grade 11 native English-speaking person.
Original: The population of the city ( commune ) at the 1999 census was 70,850 inhabitants ( 71,300 inhabitants as per February 2004 estimates ) .
Simplified: Population of the city ( commune ) at 1999 was 70,850 inhabitants ( 71,300 inhabitants as of February 2004 estimates ) .