It seems as though the metro is growing at a fast clip these days and it made me wonder how many people our metro has added since the last census in 2000. On this topic, we guess what the population will be in just over three years. From 1990-2000, we added 125,000 people. Do you think we will surpass that gain this decade? Please give your totals and opinions.

Check out the Oklahoma Population Clock I have on my page at okcpulse.com - Oklahoma City's Online Magazine (http://www.okcpulse.com) . I figure the projections... and they are simply projections... using a math formula for population growth on a monthly basis. Right now, the population clock puts the OKC MSA estimate at 1,179,220.

I use estimates from the U.S. census bureau and the 1990 census count. It's better to use older census data since all growth trends have been accounted for, which recycle themselves every 10+ years.

Based on the same formula, OKC MSA's population should reach 1,234,315 by 2010.

I think if your calculations are close, then one has to assume that our metro will have added between 150,000 and 175,000 by 2010. That's not too shabby, especially given the recession we had in 2002-03. Of course, our population more than likely just slowed a bit, rather than declined. I really believe that we are in the beginnings of unprecedented population growth. I think a good 25,000 plus per year would be pretty substantial and yet it wouldn't be so rapid that we couldn't keep up. I think having the kind of growth like the DFW Metroplex is experiencing is unhealthy in the long run.

Based on the same formula, OKC MSA's population should reach 1,234,315 by 2010.

Show me the money. Where are you pulling this from? Emporis already puts OKC's population ahead of your 2010 predictions.

Emporis is using OKC's CMSA figures for population statistics. I personally do not prefer to use the CMSA as a figure for metropolitan population figures. The seven county MSA is what I use. As mentioned before, my resources come directly from the United States Census Bureau, not from another website.

The MSA is not seven counties. That is the CMSA to my knowledge. But hell, why not include the rest of Oklahoma and the Panhandle while we're at it. Look how metropolitan Kingfisher is.

The U.S. Office of Management and Budget added Lincoln County and Grady County to Oklahoma City's MSA and dropped Pottawatomie County. The seven county MSA includes the following...

Canadian County
Cleveland County
Lincoln County
Logan County
Grady County
McClain County
Oklahoma County

The Oklahoma City CMSA includes Pottawatomie County. All U.S. Metropolitan areas (not CMSAs) include counties that are considered rural by urbanites. The U.S. Office of Management and Budget is the agency that establishes counties as rural, metropolitan or micropolitan. In this case, Garfield County is established as a Micropolitan area.

On this note, Tulsa is also a seven county MSA with eight counties in its MSA.

I look for OKC City to be 600,000+ and Metro to be at least 1.35M+, up from 503K+ and 1.2M (old Metro def). The CMA should become some 1.5M+, which comes close to Emporis and others - and makes sense. I think the state will be around 3.8M up from 3.47M.

You all should remember, the city and metro are growing at faster rates than the state while the rural of the state is losing. The net result is the state only growing at a marginal rate (that you all have posted) - but OKC is growing quite more significantly than that.

The U.S. Office of Management and Budget added Lincoln County and Grady County to Oklahoma City's MSA and dropped Pottawatomie County. The seven county MSA includes the following...

Canadian County
Cleveland County
Lincoln County
Logan County
Grady County
McClain County
Oklahoma County

The Oklahoma City CMSA includes Pottawatomie County. All U.S. Metropolitan areas (not CMSAs) include counties that are considered rural by urbanites. The U.S. Office of Management and Budget is the agency that establishes counties as rural, metropolitan or micropolitan. In this case, Garfield County is established as a Micropolitan area.

On this note, Tulsa is also a seven county MSA with eight counties in its MSA.

How do you get off saying it is seven counties and then 8 counties? Why should I read the rest of your post when you chose to end it on such a confusing note? And what does Garfield County have to do with anything? Yes, Enid is a micropolitan area. Point -- ?

Sorry, Spartan, I meant seven counties in the MSA and eight counties in the CSMA. Just a typo. My apologies.

The Oklahoma City MSA (Metropolitan Statistical Area) includes seven counties. The Oklahoma City CMSA (Consolidated Metropolitan Statistical Area) is eight counties. The MSA does not include Pottawatomie County, but the CMSA does. Pottowatomie County is defined as a micropolitan area, and that is why it is not a part of Oklahoma City's MSA.

Before 2003, Oklahoma City had six counties in its metro area:

Canadian
Cleveland
Logan
McClain
Oklahoma
Pottawatomie

The U.S. Office of Management and Budget also did not define Oklahoma City has having both a CMSA and MSA before 2003.

I only used Garfield County as an example of a micropolitan area because it is not a apart of Oklahoma City's CMSA. I will be glad to provide more information on how and why counties get designated as being a part of an MSA or CMSA. Not trying to confuse anyone, this is just how metropolitan areas are defined. It's a statistical fact, not a matter of opinion.