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Region Of Boom

00000181-fa79-da89-a38d-fb7f2b600000Region of Boom is a reporting team at KUOW.We are tracking growth in metropolitan Seattle, which is being reshaped by the demands of a fast-growing technology sector led by Amazon. It’s a boom on a grand scale bestowing wealth and opportunity upon some and disruption and displacement upon others. Take a look at where development is happening now and make sure to tell us what is going on in your own neighborhood.Follow the ongoing discussion at #regionofboomThis project is edited by Carol Smith.

Seattle-area grew so much last year, we grew a Bellingham

KUOW | By Carolyn Adolph

Published March 23, 2017 at 11:30 AM AKDT

The Puget Sound region is growing fast, and King County is its engine. For now, the sun shines on us.

New Census Bureau data shows our metropolitan region is one of the fastest-growing in the US.

Seattle-Tacoma gained 88,000 people from July 2015 to July 2016, according to the Bureau’s estimates. That’s like gaining a whole new Bellingham or Federal Way.

In the heart of it all is King County, the big jobs generator. It ranks fourth on the list of fast-growing counties by population gain.

King County’s population is growing because of tech jobs, which are in turn creating opportunities for other workers. Unemployment is low, according to the state, and tech companies such as Amazon are promising more hiring. So more growth is on the way.

For all of Puget Sound’s growth, it can’t top bigger metropolitan centers such as Dallas, Houston and Los Angeles. Those centers are growing more than we are, in sheer numbers of people. Dallas-Fort Worth, for example, gained 148,000 new residents.