Alexandria City Council Receives First Census Report

The Alexandria City Council received its first report concerning the results of the 2010 Census at its meeting on Tuesday night.

City staff gave a brief presentation highlighting the redistricting data received Feb. 3 from the Census Bureau. The city will receive more detailed citywide data this spring.

“I appreciate the press wanting to press on in terms of getting a reaction, but my reaction is let’s wait until we get everything,” Mayor Bill Euille said.

The preliminary data shows continued growth in the city of about 1 percent per year since 1960. There have been “modest shifts” in the city’s racial and ethnic populations since 2000, according to city staff.

The overall population is listed at 139,966, a plus-9.1 percent change from 2000.

Alexandria’s white population grew from 76,702 to 85,186 over the past 10 years and accounts for 60.9 percent of the city’s population.

Over the same time frame, Alexandria’s black population grew slightly from 28,915 to 30,491. The black population represents 21.8 percent of the city’s overall population, down from 22.5 percent in 2000.

The city’s Hispanic population increased 3,642 from 2000 and currently accounts for 16.1 percent of the city.

When going over the geographic changes in race during the past 10 years, urban planner Pat Mann said he believes “there’s a substantial shift reducing the share of the black and African-American population around Old Town and along Route 1 and in Del Ray.”

Almost 24 percent of the city’s population is foreign-born, which is nearly twice the national average of 12.5 percent. 

For more information on Alexandria’s 2010 Census data, click here. 

Odds and ends

The council officially took with a unanimous vote. … The council approved a grant application for the city’s Local Motion program by a 5-2 vote. Council members Alicia Hughes and Frank Fannon cast the dissenting votes, believing funding could be better spent elsewhere. Local Motion seeks to reduce travel demand and decrease congestion in the city by educating citizens about other transportation options. The grant money would fund several transportation projects, including participation in a bike share program currently in place in Arlington County and the District. … Vice Mayor Kerry Donley congratulated the T.C. Williams boys and girls basketball teams on their successful seasons, highlighting the boys team’s victory in the Patriot District championship game and the girls’ runner-up finish in the district.