Downtown OKC Population Growth

[bchris02]

4 things to know about downtown Oklahoma City | News OK

Per this article the population of downtown was 5,264 in 2010 and is expected to grow to 5,547 by 2018. Does anybody think that figure is a little low once you factor in all the announced or recently opened residential projects? Just a single development like LIFT, the Metropolitan, the Steelyard, or especially the new Clayco apartment tower should bring more new downtown residents than what this article states. Thoughts?

[soondoc]

Those numbers are not even remotely accurate, it is almost impossible to not be much higher.

[Pete]

Yeah, don't know where those numbers came from, but they are way off.

We have over 5,000 apartments and condos built or planned in the next few years:

Downtown Housing Summary - OKCTalk

[traxx]

From the article:

5,264: Population of "greater" downtown Oklahoma City in 2010.

5,547: Expected downtown population by 2018

778: Downtown households (estimated, 2013) with incomes of less than $15,000.

34: Downtown households (estimated, 2013) with incomes of more than $200,000.

So they're predicting the pop in DT to be about 300 people greater than what it was in 2010. Yet the households that they list for 2013 already exceeds that number, especially if you figure some of those households have more than one person.

[adaniel]

Yeah, don't know where those numbers came from, but they are way off.

We have over 5,000 apartments and condos built or planned in the next few years:

Downtown Housing Summary - OKCTalk

A safe number to assume is about 1.5 persons per households. This is the figure for uptown Dallas zip codes

So 5K X 1.5= at least 7,000 people.

Not sure where they got those numbers at all.

[Pete]

Also, I have no idea how they are defining downtown.

That 5,000 number is just the larger multi-family buildings and does not count all the houses and smaller apartments all over the central core.

[NWOKCGuy]

It says the source was from the 2010 US Census... I'm pretty sure they don't pay attention to construction projects and most of them weren't announced back then. Not sure why they would even report on this.

[bchris02]

It says the source was from the 2010 US Census... I'm pretty sure they don't pay attention to construction projects and most of them weren't announced back then. Not sure why they would even report on this.

That was my thoughts. They probably based the projection off of past growth trends which if you look at how downtown OKC grew between 1990 and 2010 an increase of only 300 people probably wouldn't be that far off.

Downtown OKC has come such a long way since 2010 its almost unbelievable.

[Just the facts]

Reading some of the stories from the Oklahoman employees who recently relocated to their new office I get the feeling that Steve is the only employee who knew downtown existed in any form other than as a backdrop for Thunder games.

[OKCRT]

So how many residents need to be living downtown before we can say "Big League" 20k? is that a good start?

[Motley]

San Diego has around 37000 living downtown and a workforce of around 83000. I would say downtown San Diego is near the top of the league and is much larger than OKC.

Downtown San Diego Demographics & Statistics ? Employment, Education, Income Averages, Crime in Downtown San Diego ? Point2 Homes

[mkjeeves]

Reading some of the stories from the Oklahoman employees who recently relocated to their new office I get the feeling that Steve is the only employee who knew downtown existed in any form other than as a backdrop for Thunder games.

Hard to believe, but there are probably hundreds of thousands of people living in the OKC metro who aren't obsessed with and don't even spend much time thinking about downtown.

[ksearls]

Also, unless it has changed, the census numbers include the inmate population at the jail ��

[bchris02]

So how many residents need to be living downtown before we can say "Big League" 20k? is that a good start?

Charlotte has just under 25,000 people living downtown. In terms of downtown vibrancy goes, Charlotte is way ahead of OKC but is behind a lot of other cities. Downtown Memphis has 24,300 living there. I really think that is the level OKC should shoot for so yeah 20k is close to the magic number.

[Spartan]

I just read that and spent the last half hour looking into downtown living in Memphis. I had no idea that there downtown was so well-preserved.

[Spartan]

4 things to know about downtown Oklahoma City | News OK

Per this article the population of downtown was 5,264 in 2010 and is expected to grow to 5,547 by 2018. Does anybody think that figure is a little low once you factor in all the announced or recently opened residential projects? Just a single development like LIFT, the Metropolitan, the Steelyard, or especially the new Clayco apartment tower should bring more new downtown residents than what this article states. Thoughts?

This is a pretty representative dose of William/Bill Crum. Because he's such a great journalist, he's going to tell you the 4 things to know about downtown Oklahoma City.

Always asking the right questions and highlighting the most salient points about our city's issues.

[Teo9969]

This is a pretty representative dose of William/Bill Crum. Because he's such a great journalist, he's going to tell you the 4 things to know about downtown Oklahoma City.

Always asking the right questions and highlighting the most salient points about our city's issues.

[bchris02]

I just read that and spent the last half hour looking into downtown living in Memphis. I had no idea that there downtown was so well-preserved.

Memphis is a great place. It's dense, urban, vibrant, developed, and has everything you would expect in a city of 1.3 million people. They also have very attractive suburbs for those who prefer suburban living. They have some terrible ghettos as well but one positive is its all concentrated in specific areas.

[Urbanized]

Memphis has some great fabric downtown for sure, and is a great place to visit. I wouldn't want to live there though. Racial tension is so thick you can cut it with a knife. OKC is not perfect in that regard of course (is anyplace?) but for the most part people of different complexions and backgrounds peacefully co-exist with each other, and in many cases in neighborhoods that are very well-integrated. During my visits to Memphis I found the difference to be pretty incredible.

[bchris02]

Memphis has some great fabric downtown for sure, and is a great place to visit. I wouldn't want to live there though. Racial tension is so thick you can cut it with a knife. OKC is not perfect in that regard of course (is anyplace?) but for the most part people of different complexions and backgrounds peacefully co-exist with each other, and in many cases in neighborhoods that are very well-integrated. During my visits to Memphis I found the difference to be pretty incredible.

That's true. A lot of the older Southern cities like Memphis, Little Rock, Birmingham, Atlanta, Charlotte, and even Dallas still have significant racial tension that dates way back. OKC having developed more like a Western city is spared from a lot of that though it still exists to some degree.

[Pete]

Memphis has some great fabric downtown for sure, and is a great place to visit. I wouldn't want to live there though. Racial tension is so thick you can cut it with a knife. OKC is not perfect in that regard of course (is anyplace?) but for the most part people of different complexions and backgrounds peacefully co-exist with each other, and in many cases in neighborhoods that are very well-integrated. During my visits to Memphis I found the difference to be pretty incredible.

I agree completely.

I had a good friend living there who worked for the FBI and I went to visit several times.

It's one of the few cities where I've actually felt unsafe at times.

[Urbanized]

And I'm not even really talking about feeling unsafe. I mostly mean that when you walk down the same streets as one another you get the feeling that people of different races have no desire whatsoever to speak or interact with those of another, unless forced to by business necessity, etc. And it seems like people are constantly on edge just waiting to be offended by something someone of the other race says or does. That's no way to live, IMO.

[adaniel]

^
Dad's side is from Memphis and the surrounding area and sadly this is 100% spot on. Sucks because Memphis has some wonderful urban neighborhoods like Harbor Town, South Bluffs, Midtown, etc. Its kind of ironic but the only large scale integrated areas are the suburbs found over the state line in Mississippi.

[bchris02]

Midtown Memphis is awesome. When I lived in Little Rock I would take regular trips to Memphis and would usually hang out there. I have always thought Uptown/23rd in OKC could become like that one day.

[ljbab728]

An update by Steve on jobs and related population in downtown OKC.

Study finds jobs are moving downtown in Oklahoma City and other metro areas | News OK

A new study shows Oklahoma City is part of a new national trend where a half century of job growth in sprawling suburbia is coming to an end while employment is surging downtown.
Oklahoma City’s downtown residential population also increased, from 6,765 in 2000 to 7,475 in 2013. More than a thousand additional residences are under construction and set to open in the next two years.