Community Newspaper for Blaine, Birch Bay and Semiahmoo, Washington

Birch Bay county growth leader

Local communities are some of the fastest growing in the county, and even the state, according to results of the 2000 U.S. Census released Friday.

Census results show Birch Bay leading the county in growth, its population almost doubling in the last ten years. Birch Bay grew from 2,656 residents in 1990 to 4,961 in 2000, a jump of 87 percent, far outpacing the county average growth rate of 31 percent and the state average of 21 percent. While not a city itself, Birch Bay grew faster in the last decade than any of the county’s cities.

While Blaine showed more restrained growth, increasing by 59 percent in the last decade, it still clocked in as the third fastest growing city in the county, after Ferndale (62 percent) and Lynden (58 percent).

According to Blaine community and economic development director Terry Galvin, a portion of Blaine’s growth is due to the east Blaine annexation. “The annexation accounts for a lot of that,” he said. “Our growth has been pretty steady at around three percent per year but has decreased somewhat in the last few years.”

Blaine is growing more in diversity than in total population, with non-white groups showing the largest relative growth rates. While hispanic is not a race, survey respondents of any race were asked if they were of hispanic origin. Both the Blaine and Birch Bay hispanic populations grew significantly in the last ten years.

Further information about local communities will be released by the census bureau in coming months, including income and housing statistics.