NORTHWEST ARKANSAS (KNWA/KFTA) — A recent study conducted by the Northwest Arkansas Council finds that the region is predicted to reach one million people by 2050, according to growth trends.
NWA Council studied how fast the metropolitan area consisting of Benton, Madison and Washington counties are growing.
This metropolitan currently has a population of 576,403 people.
When compared to past populations, northwest Arkansas adds an estimated 36 people per day, making it the 18th fastest-growing metro in the United States, according to the study.
NWA Council says that as the region continues to grow, leaders will need to collaborate to adapt to the change in population.
To conduct this study, the council conducted phone polls and online surveys, as well as focus groups and 1-on-1 interviews.
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Analysts polled participants on the direction they believe northwest Arkansas is headed and were asked to rate aspects of quality of life in the area.
According to results, 70% of participants polled believed that northwest Arkansas has a good quality of life, while 26% believed that quality of life in the region is getting worse.
Of the rated quality of life aspects, affordable housing ranked the lowest. According to results, 17% of northwest Arkansans rated affordable housing in the region as good or excellent.
Housing continues to be a hot button issue in northwest Arkansas after the Fayetteville City Council declared a housing crisis in the city on April 2.
Fayetteville declares housing crisis in city
According to results of the survey, people in northwest Arkansas feel that outdoor recreation is the best quality of life aspect in the region, as 95% of people polled rated it as good or excellent.
Here are how all quality of life aspects ranked:
|
Outdoor Recreation (95%) |
Flight Operations (58%) |
|
Safety (87%) |
Recycling (55%) |
|
Clean Drinking Water (83%) |
City/County Leadership (49%) |
|
Jobs (75%) |
Shared Vision (47%) |
|
Activities & Nightlife (73%) |
Roads & Bridges (47%) |
|
Health Care (69%) |
Affordable Housing (17%) |
|
Job Training (67%) |
Participants were also asked to identify growth priorities that leaders should focus on in the region. According to the results, the top priorities for growth in northwest Arkansas are:
NWA Council asked participants if they would be for or opposed to a tax that would go towards the community.
According to the study, 61% of survey participants said they would not oppose a tax if they felt the planned project benefited the community.
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