Alexandria is the fifth-fastest-growing city in the nation, according to U.S. census figures released Tuesday.
Alexandria’s population grew 3.8 percent from July 1, 2008, to July 1, 2009 — adding about 5,500 people to the city of 150,000 six miles south of downtown Washington.
The District fell far behind Alexandria at No. 68, out of the 276 U.S. cities with populations greater than 100,000. Though four times the size of Alexandria, D.C. grew by only 4,000 more people than its suburban counterpart.
Neighboring Arlington County also ranked in the Census Bureau’s 10 fastest-growing cities — at No. 7, with 3.5 percent growth — even though it’s not technically a city. The bureau qualifies Arlington County as a city because of its population concentration.
Fastest-growing cities
| City | Change from July 1, 2008 to July 1, 2009 | July 1, 2009, population |
| Frisco City, Texas | 6.2% | 102,412 |
| Cary, N.C. | 5.7% | 136,600 |
| McKinney, Texas | 5.5% | 127,671 |
| New Orleans | 5.4% | 354,850 |
| Alexandria | 3.8% | 150,006 |
| Clarksville, Tenn. | 3.6% | 124,565 |
| Arlington | 3.5% | 217,483 |
| Round Rock, Texas | 3.4% | 105,412 |
| Murfreesboro, Tenn. | 3.4% | 105,209 |
| Lewisville, Texas | 3.3% | 105,169 |
Census spokesman Robert Bernstein said he was shocked to see two Virginia areas in the top 10. “I don’t remember ever seeing anything like this,” he said. “Two cities … of all places, in Virginia?”
Four of the top 10 cities are in Texas, two in Tennessee, one in North Carolina and one in Louisiana.
“People have been leaving D.C. because of increased cost of living and housing prices there,” said Sabiyha Prince, assistant professor of anthropology at American University. “People being more well off and moving to the suburbs is no longer an adequate model because people are finding more affordable housing in parts of Virginia and Maryland.”
William Frey, demographer for the Brookings Institution, said Alexandria and Arlington’s record growth is a testament to “the strength of the urban core in Washington.” He said those flocking to D.C.’s suburbs aren’t fleeing the District — rather, they are from elsewhere and are trying to get closer.
D.C. grew faster between 2008 and 2009 than during any other year in the last decade. Since 2003, the city has grown by about 2,000 people each year. From 2008 to 2009, D.C. grew by 9,583 people — at a rate faster than all but two of the nation’s 10 largest cities — San Antonio and San Jose.
Prince qualified the growing population in the suburbs as primarily immigrants.
“We definitely see that this area is becoming more multicultural — particularly, more Latin Americans and Asians are moving to the suburbs,” she said, adding that poverty also is increasing in those areas.
Census data shows Alexandria’s population grew about 17 percent from April 1, 2000, to July 1, 2009, Arlington’s grew 15 percent, and the District’s grew 5 percent.
