Population

"Go West" was the advice for young men seeking their fortune in the mid-1800s. At the start of the 21st century, they've reversed their dribble. Maryland and North Carolina meet today at Comcast Center in College Park. The Tar Heels have three Californians, two in a potent freshman class. The Terps' leading scorer is D.J. Strawberry, and their top rebounder is Ekene Ibekwe. Both are from Los Angeles suburbs. Southern California talent like Jared Dudley and Sean Marshall eased Boston College's entry into the Atlantic Coast Conference.

ALBANY, N.Y. -- Five decades of population decline is over.Experts say Albany's population will level off at slightly more than 100,000 in the 2000 census, narrowly averting getting shoved into the urban minor leagues.The city isn't going to experience anything like dynamic growth, but experts believe the population has stabilized. There are several reasons for the turnaround. The number of people leaving the city isn't increasing. Experts also cited growing immigrant and minority communities, as well as a steady influx of college and university students.

IT TOOK thousands of years, from the dawn of civilization until the 19th century, for the world's population to reach 1 billion people.But by this fall, probably sometime around mid-October, planet Earth will be home to 6 billion humans.In the years since John F. Kennedy was elected president in 1960, the global population has virtually doubled.These population figures aren't any pie-in-the-sky numbers from some alarmist environmental group. The statistics come from the U.S. Census Bureau, based on a variety of expert sources on world population.

1900: U.S. population at 76 million1901: Queen Victoria dies1901: President McKinley assassinated1902: Boer War endsPub Date: 12/08/99

Today is the official birthday of the planet Earth's 6 billionth human being.Demographers are making an educated guess on the arrival date. But the United Nations has designated today to mark the event, and to call attention to the consequences of our continuing fertility.What's the big deal about 6 billion?It's the trend that worries many people. It took all of human history until 1804 to put 1 billion people on the planet. We needed just 123 years (until 1927) more to reach 2 billion, and 47 more (1974)

Sykesville and Eldersburg have been friendly neighbors in southern Carroll County for years. And now two Eldersburg residents disgusted with congested roads, crowded schools and overburdened services want Sykesville to take their community from the county.The longtime Eldersburg residents have asked the Sykesville Town Council to consider annexing the 28-square-mile area and its nearly 30,000 residents -- more than 10 times the size and population of the town.Their union would create one of Maryland's largest municipalities, in area and population.

WASHINGTON -- While Republicans and Democrats in Congress continue high-stakes maneuvering over the 2000 Census, the state of Arizona has sent Washington a defiant message on what kinds of numbers will -- and won't -- be acceptable inside its borders.A new Arizona law, whipped through the Republican-controlled Legislature on a largely party-line vote and signed Thursday by GOP Gov. Jane Dee Hull, would require the state to use only population figures from a straight head count as it remaps legislative and congressional districts.

1987: Amtrak rail crash in Chase kills 161990: Maryland population 4.7 million1992: Barbara Mikulski becomes U.S. senator

Baltimore launched its "Everyone Counts" campaign for the 2000 census yesterday in the War Memorial Building across from City Hall, with Mayor Kurt L. Schmoke urging schoolchildren to spread the word about the count so the city can get the resources it needs."

Baltimore launched its "Everyone Counts" campaign for the 2000 census yesterday in the War Memorial Building across from City Hall, with Mayor Kurt L. Schmoke urging schoolchildren to spread the word about the count so the city can get the resources it needs."

State officials on Wednesday announced the start of an outreach plan for the 2010 census that includes advertising at Motor Vehicle Administration branches, on buses and on county and state Web sites. Gov. Martin O'Malley and Baltimore County Executive James T. Smith Jr. outlined the initiative at the Randallstown Community Center, rallying leaders in education and business to spread the word about the importance of accuracy for the once-a-decade population count. In 2007, Maryland received more than $5.8 billion in federal funds for programs that rely on Census Bureau data.

As many as 3 million Americans may now be immune to the West Nile virus thanks to antibodies they produced after being infected by the bite of an infected mosquito. And a tenth of 1 percent of the population - about 300,000 people - acquire new West Nile infections each year, most without ever experiencing any symptoms of the disease, according to a study in the current issue of the journal Emerging Infectious Diseases. "We do not see any indication that that trend will not continue," said Thomas R. Kriel, senior director of viral vaccines at Baxter International Inc., in Vienna, Austria.

Earl Wilder was suffering from Alzheimer's disease when he moved to Harmony Hall a year ago. The retired transit worker and World War II veteran got a room on the upper floor of the Columbia assisted-living facility, a section reserved for residents requiring the most intensive supervision. When Wilder showed he was able to care for himself, he was moved to the general population area of Maryland's largest assisted-living home. "He was viewed not to be a risk to himself or others," said Harmony Hall general counsel Joe LaVerghetta.

Baltimore's population continues to drop, losing 3,231 people during the year that ended July 1, 2008, according to new census estimates released Wednesday. Except for a small uptick in 2006, the city's population has been on a half-century decline. The most recent census figures put Baltimore's population at 636,919. The number is an estimate, calculated by using data from the 2000 census and taking into account births, deaths and immigration. City leaders have annually disputed the census' initial estimates, arguing the numbers are too low. The preliminary count for 2007 was 637,455, but the bureau readjusted the figure to 640,150.

The number of blue crabs in the Chesapeake Bay has increased significantly over the past year, Maryland and Virginia officials announced Friday, saying that harvest limits designed to combat steep declines in the population appear to be working. Results of the 2008-2009 winter dredge survey show that the number of female crabs in the bay doubled in the past year. Catch restrictions were aimed at preserving females so they could survive to produce the next generation. Overall, the number of crabs in the bay increased from 280 million in 2007-2008 to more than 418 million in 2008-2009, officials estimate, a rapid and surprising rebound.

The Baltimore region is going gray. While the region's population showed a modest increase of about 4 percent from 2000 through 2007, the number of residents ages 55 to 64 and those 85 and older increased by about a third, according to an analysis of U.S. census data released today. The former group is the result of the baby boom generation reaching retirement age; the latter, an aging society living longer. "Longevity has increased so much," said Rose Viscidi, a resident of Charlestown Retirement Community in Catonsville who is her in 80s. She takes daily aerobics classes and keeps busy, engaging in a lifestyle that has become more the norm for her age group.

Rising population strains food supply The Sun's recent editorial urging that America take the lead in addressing the world food crisis ("Feeding the world," April 16) cited numerous reasons for the growing problem of world hunger, including rapid economic growth in China and India, the diversion of cropland to production of biofuels and the rising costs for fertilizer and farm fuels. But it didn't mention the biggest reason of all: overpopulation. Humanity is adding 70 million people to its numbers every year, virtually all of them in the world's poorest nations.

Last fall, Baltimore leaders proclaimed a "reversal of fortune" when revised 2006 Census figures revealed the city's population had increased after a half century of decline. But new census estimates released today imply that such fortunes might be changing. Baltimore's population decreased by 3,506 people during the year that ended July 1, 2007, to 637,455. For a city whose officials have viewed population figures as a sign of economic health, numbers matter. Still, demographers note that the slight dip is only an estimate and that the finding is largely considered "preliminary."

Elated city leaders were fast to spread the news: For the first time in decades, Baltimore's population has increased, reversing a half-century of decline, according to revised estimates from the U.S. Census Bureau. Mayor Sheila Dixon announced the revised estimate yesterday, calling the nearly 900-person gain between 2005 and 2006 a "reversal of fortune." The new figures come after Baltimore officials challenged the city's 2006 estimate, released in June. The adjusted figure puts Baltimore's population as of July 1, 2006, at 640,961, up 897 from the 2005 Charm City count of 640,064.

Sandwiched between Frederick and Baltimore counties, Carroll County is a domain of farms, forests and townships. But as it attracts high-profile companies and work opportunities, it is experiencing a boom in its population. Carroll's population grew by 11.7 percent between April 1, 2000, and July 1, 2005, more than double the 5.7 percent growth the state of Maryland saw in the same period, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. Not only has the county's population increased at a quick clip, but its residents have also purchased houses in large numbers, bucking the trend toward renting that dogs some of the surrounding counties' economies.