07/10/08

While Idaho’s population grew at a slightly slower pace in 2007 and the bulk of the newcomers continued settling in the state's metropolitan areas such as Boise, more cities outside the urban centers, including Twin Falls felt some of the latest influx.

Information released today by the Idaho Department of Labor and The US Census Bureau shows Twin Falls was one of those non-metro cities in the state that gained the most people.

The population of Twin Falls increased to over 41,500 last year - an increase of 3.1 percent from 2006 and a 7-percent increase overall from 2005.

The populations of Kimberly and Filer also showed significant growth. The number of Kimberly residents increased from 2700 in 2006, to more than 3,000 in 2007 - an increase of 8.7 percent.

Filer's city population grew by 4.5% from 1900 residents in 2006 to more than 2000 last year.

Shoshone continued to grow at a moderate rate - up by nearly 3 from 2006 to 2007.

Still, some communities showed little or no growth.

The population of Burley increased by just 63 people - that's less than a 1-percent increase.

In Rupert, the population fell by nearly 1-percent - dropping from 5,084 residents in 2006 - to 5,075 last year.