Right! Compared to 1970, the 2010 Census shows that the population of Erie and Niagara Counties decreased by 214,000 people. For details, please look below at a slide taken from our Online Sprawl Presentation.


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population chart
 

In most regions, land use is driven by population growth. As more and more people need houses and services, the city grows outward to accommodate them.

This isn't the case in Erie and Niagara counties, however, where we have a condition that former Mayor William Johnson of Rochester refers to as the "sprawl of stagnation" as opposed to a "sprawl of affluence." The population of these two counties peaked in 1970 at around 1.35 million people, and it has been declining ever since. As of the 2010 census, the population was down to 1.136 million, a loss of about 214,000 people.