Prince William population to top 400,000 this year

By: Cheryl Chumley | Inside NoVA
Published: January 28, 2010

Prince William County, Va. -- Before 2010 wraps, Prince William's population will surpass 400,000; and if trends continue, the Linton Hall, Montclair, Bull Run and Gainesville areas will see the greatest influx, according to fourth quarter statistics from the county demographer.

"Prince William County is the third most populous jurisdiction in Virginia" behind Fairfax and Loudoun counties, the December report states. "Nearly 4 percent of Virginia's total population is located in Prince William … [and as of Dec. 15], the population is 395,485."

By the end of the year, 412,576 individuals will call the county their home, according to county forecasts.

Between 1990 and 2000, Gainesville grew by nearly 147 percent, from 1,776 residents to 4,382. Linton Hall, meanwhile, grew 650 percent, to 8,620 residents, according to the county demographer.

In this time period, Bull Run saw a growth of 106 percent, from 5,525 residents to 11,377. And in Montclair, it was a 38 percent population hike, as the community grew from 11,399 residents to 15,728.

By head count, however, Dale City and Woodbridge take the lead. According to 2000 numbers, 55,971 call Dale City home; 31,941 live in Woodbridge.

Racial divides, meanwhile, have bridged.

"In recent decades," according to the demographic report, "the population of Prince William County increasingly has become racially and ethnically diverse. Between 1990 and 2000, the population of blacks more than doubled, from 25,078 people to 52,691, and the population of persons of Hispanic origin nearly tripled, from 9,662 persons to 27,338 persons."

Moreover, the numbers of those living into Prince William who were born outside of the United States has grown by double-digit percentages. A 2008 American Community Survey "indicated that 20 percent of Prince William County's population was foreign born in 2008, compared to 6.2 percent in 1990."

Most have come from Latin America countries, the survey found.

Staff writer Cheryl Chumley can be reached at 703-670-1907.