City officials sound off on Falls population loss

The City of Niagara Falls continued to lose a significant chunk of its population during the previous decade, according to data released Thursday by the U.S. Census Bureau.

Official Census figures show the city’s population dropped from 55,661 in 2000 to 50,193 in 2010.

The loss of 5,468 residents during the 10-year period equates to a 9.8 percent decrease, the highest rate of population decline among all municipalities in Niagara County.

The latest numbers continue the trend the city has endured in the decades since hitting its peak population of 120,294 in 1960. They also reflect the sixth consecutive period in which the city has experienced a decline in population. As of the 2000 census, the city had 55,593 residents.

While not pleased with the news, city officials were not exactly surprised by it either, noting that estimates leading up to the release of the final numbers suggested the city would finish 2010 with roughly 50,000 residents.

Mayor Paul Dyster said the numbers reinforce the challenge facing Niagara Falls for the next 10 years — improving the quality of life in the community so more people consider it a viable place to live and work.

“Looking at the large number of vacant residential units in the city you can tell we’ve suffered a significant population decline over the past decade,” Dyster said. “The question is: What do you do about it? We’re trying to treat the symptoms. The disease is population loss.”

By narrowly eclipsing the 50,000 population mark, the city likely managed to secure its standing as an “entitlement community,” a distinction that allows it to qualify for direct funding for community development projects through the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. The city’s Community Development Director Robert Antonucci said population is one of the key factors used to determine eligibility for direct federal assistance. Had the city’s population fallen below 50,000, Antonucci said it ran the risk of being re-classified into a group known as “small cities.” Those communities, he said, do not receive funds directly from HUD and are instead required to apply the state for a portion of money set aside by the federal government for community development projects each year.

“It’s a very good thing for Niagara Falls,” Antonucci said, referring to the 50,000-plus population figure. “Fifty thousand is the first benchmark that they look at. To fall below it would potentially jeopardize our entitlement status.”

The city’s numbers contrasted with those in the Town of Wheatfield, which experienced the largest increase in population over the 10-year period. From 2000 to 2010, Wheatfield’s population jumped from 14,086 to 18,117, an increase of 28.6 percent.

The Town of Lewiston also posted a slight increase of 1.5 percent, from a population of 16,240 in 2000 to 16,262 in 2010.

In the Town of Niagara, the population dropped by 6 percent, from 8,910 in 2000 to 8,378 last year.

Niagara County as a whole experienced a slight population drop during the decade of the 2000s. According to 2010 figures, the county has 216,469 residents, down from 219,844 in 2000, for a decrease of 1.5 percent.

With receipt of certified Census results, the pace of the Niagara County Redistricting Commission’s work will pick up. The citizen panel is charged with recommending a new county legislative district map to the county Legislature by April 19. The map will show the outlines of 15 districts, four fewer than exist now, as directed by the results of a 2009 voter referendum ordering Legislature reduction.

Back in the Falls, Dyster noted the city is not necessarily unique when it comes to population loss. Census figures show neighboring Buffalo’s population dropped by 10.1 percent. He added that Niagara Falls has taken several steps in recent years in an effort to reverse the trend, referencing redevelopment projects on Old Falls Street and in the downtown area and community enhancement efforts like the clean neighborhood program and so-called ZOOM team. He said research by organizations like the Washington, D.C. think tank, the Brookings Institution, suggest demographics and consumer preferences in America are beginning to change and in the years ahead younger, educated people in particular will be looking for the type of “walkable” urban environments cities like Niagara Falls will have to offer if they continue to make wise decisions and sound investments in their infrastructure and offerings.

“We’re trying to make ourselves more attractive to young adults that we think, based on studies that have been done nationally, are going to want to live in cities in the future,” Dyster said.

Census counts by the municipality are:

• Cambria, 5,839. Population increased by 448, 8.3 percent, since 2000.

• Hartland, 4,163. Population decreased by 46, 1.1 percent.

• Lewiston, 16,262. Population increased by 22, 0.1 percent.

• Lockport, city, 21,165. Population decreased by 1,114, 5 percent.

• Lockport, town, 20,529. Population increased by 874, 4.4 percent.

• Newfane, 9,666. Population increased by 9, 0.1 percent.

• Niagara, town, 8,378. Population decreased by 532, 6 percent.

• Niagara Falls, 50,193. Population decreased by 5,468, 9.8 percent.

• North Tonawanda, 31,568. Population decreased by 1,694, 5.1 percent.

• Pendleton, 6,397. Population increased by 347, 5.7 percent.

• Porter, 6,771. Population decreased by 149, 2.2 percent.

• Royalton, 7,660. Population decreased by 50, 0.6 percent.

• Somerset, 2,662. Population decreased by 203, 7.1 percent.

• Tuscarora Nation reservation, 1,152. Population decreased by 3, 0.3 percent.

• Wheatfield, 18,117. Population increased by 4,031, 28.6 percent.

• Wilson, 5,993. Population increased by 153, 2.6 percent.