Calgary's population hits 1.15M people

Calgary's population increased by almost30,000 people last year, whichis an annual growth rate of 2.6 per cent.

Theresults of the city census were announcedThursday by Mayor Naheed Nenshi.

More people moved to Calgary from April 2012 to April 2013 than moved away from the city, for a net population gain of 19,067 people.

The rest of the population increase was due to natural increasethe number of births over deaths which amounted to 10,260 last year.

The city now has a population of 1.15 million people.

Fast-growing suburbs

Much of the population growth occurred in the Calgary's outskirts. The seven fastest-growing communities in the past year were Evanston, Auburn Bay, Cranston, Skyview Ranch, Panorama Hills, New Brighton, Copperfield and Aspen Woods.

However, a University of Calgary sociologist saysthe growth is not simply a story of urban sprawl.

"It was striking to me that some of the central city areas are continuing to grow at relatively rapid rates" said Kevin McQuillan, pointing to increasing population in Inglewood, Beltline, Chinatown and East Village.

McQuillan says it will be interesting to see if last month's flooding will have an impact on future growth in those areas.

• Alberta unveils new flood-proofing rules

"The flooding may, in at least some of those communities, make some people have second thoughts about it,"McQuillan told CBC.

Vacancy rate falls

The census also indicates it is becoming harder to findhousing in Calgary. Although the number of housing units continued to rise, the vacancy ratefell to 2.59 per cent.

Mayor Naheed Nenshi said the recent flooding has made a tight rental market even more difficult and he said city council is considering measures to make it easier for people to find housing in the city.

• Demand spikes for Calgary homes out of flood-affected areas
• Landlords gouging Calgary renters, claim flood victims

More than 68 per cent of Calgariansreported owningtheir homes, down slightly from the previous year.