The city of Goshen has experienced the largest population growth of any Elkhart County community since the year 2000, according to 2007 U.S. Census Bureau figures.

The statistics represent figures taken from the July 1, 2000 census, compared to the most recent estimates taken on July 1, 2006.

Over that six-year time frame, Goshen’s population has increased by approximately 2,195, bringing its current population estimate to 31,882.

The city of Nappanee was recorded as having the second highest population growth in Elkhart County from 2000 to 2006 with a change from 6,745 to 7,070 — an increase of 325.

While the population increase for Goshen is a large one, Elkhart County Councilman Mike Yoder indicated that he is not surprised by the news, and in fact expects to see that number increase even more over the next few years.

“The only surprise is that the other cities didn’t experience larger increases,” Yoder said. “I am expecting the census (in 2010) to push Elkhart County’s population close to 200,000.

“If that happens and these new people didn’t move into the cities or towns, then we know they ended up out in the county,” he said.

As for what he attributes to this rapid increase in growth, Yoder indicated that the combination of good work and living environments that can be found in Goshen are a big part of the area’s appeal.

“Good jobs, good schools and good communities in general will stimulate growth,” Yoder said. “Not just manufacturing businesses, but most all business clusters continue to expand.”

Yoder said that Nappanee, Wakarusa, Goshen and Elkhart have all invested and worked at rebuilding and improving their downtown environments over the past few years.

“Sometimes we get too caught up with focusing on negative news. We miss the incremental changes that are happening to make us such a desirable community,” Yoder said. “The Horizon Project, the last community strategic plan, charged us with improving quality of life in our communities and diversifying our employment opportunities.

“Just the act of putting that on paper and placing the issues on the radar screen of different leaders in the community has positive effects. Sometimes numerous small incremental actions eventually will come together to make big changes,” he said.

While growth in Goshen and the county in general can be viewed as a positive thing for the most part, Yoder warned that it will take proper planning and smart land use over the long run to ensure that growth remains sustainable.

“If we are successful in planning for this growth, it is a good thing,” Yoder said. “If we continue to waste out county’s resources of land to accommodate this growth without good planning, we will soon discover what no-growth is like.”

Yoder indicated that past poor planning practices have stretched many city and county services to their limits, with the police being one example.

“Traffic congestion is also a result of allowing random high density residential areas throughout the county,” Yoder said. “Contrary to the opinion of some in our community, continuing to grow as we have will not continue forever. If quality of life is a primary driver in choosing where you live, we need to make decisions now to protect that quality of life.”

As for other growth numbers in the area, the population of the city of Elkhart increased by 210 over the six-year period, from 52,538 to 52,748.

Middlebury’s population increased by 209, from 2,996 to 3,205.

Bristol’s population grew from 1,538 to 1,651 — an increase of 113.

Wakarusa saw only a very minor change in population, increasing by 57 from 2000 to 2006 for a total of 1,686.

Millersburg also saw a minor increase of 45, bringing the total population to 916.

Overall, Elkhart County saw an increase in population of 15,314 from 2000 to 2006, increasing from 182,791 to 198,105.

LaGrange County also saw an increase in population over the last few years, jumping from 34,909 in 2000 to 37,291 in 2006 — an increase of 2,382.

The town of LaGrange saw an increase of 63, bringing its population to 2,979, followed by the town of Topeka, which saw an increase from 1,167 to 1,198, and Shipshewana, which increased from 522 to 534.

Noble County, which includes Ligonier, Kendallville, and Cromwell, saw an overall increase in population of 1,473, bringing its total population estimate to 47,918 in 2006.

Kosciusko County, on the other hand, actually saw some decreases in population over the course of the six years.

While the county as a whole gained 2,484 people from 2000 to 2006 for a total of 76,541, the town of Syracuse saw a loss of 55 people, reducing its total population estimate to 3,026.