Where the people are

Missouri looks to have about 7% more people in the 2000 census than it did 10 years ago. A lot of that growth since 1990 has come at the expense of Missouri’s inner cities. State demographer Ryan Burson says the fastest-growing areas around St. Louis are the suburb counties of St. Charles and Franklin Counties. Kansas City residents have fled to Platte, Clay, and Cass Counties. Burson says the Branson area and parts of the Lake of the Ozarks also did well. Besides the inner-cities, Burson says farming communities have also dwindled. Burson figures Missouri’s population of 5 million in 1990 will grow to 5.5 million in the 2000 census. He says that’s enough to maintain our nine seats in Congress.