DC’s 600,000 People: The Redistricting Angle

The very good news that the most recent estimate puts DC’s population right at the 600,000 brings up the redistricting angle and how the increase will affect various boundaries within the city.

You can bet that lots of folks inside the Wilson Building have been asking these questions for some time.

1. The additional 28,000 residents since the 2000 census is about a 5% increase. It’s not huge, but it appears to be concentrated in a relatively small section of the city.
2. How many new residents were added in the Logan Circle, U Street, NoMa, Shaw and Columbia Heights neighborhoods? What will population growth in these neighborhoods mean after the 2010 census and it is time for redistricting… to redraw various city boundaries– Ward maps and ANC maps?
3. The two wards that would seem to be affected most by the city’s population increase are 1 and 2, but possibly 4 and 6 as well. And, what about Wards to the east: 5, 7 and 8? Did they lose population?
4. How often are the MPD’s police district boundaries redrawn? Anyone have an answer?

The number of new residential buildings in the U Street, 14th Street, P Street, Rhode Island, 11th Street, Massachusetts Avenue (toward Union Station) and other areas is astounding.

If you have only lived in the area for a few years, it is difficult to appreciate the change. For example, on the 1400-block of P Street there was no Whole Foods, Mova Lounge, Logan Tavern, banks, etc. This block, along with the 14th Street corridor has become a traditional Main Street for many people.

The fallout from the 2010 census on ward and ANC boundaries should be very interesting.