Resolution No. 4814 - Laserfiche WebLink

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generally considered special needs populations. Based on these 2000 census data, the Eugene/SpdngfieM Metro Area has a substantial population of children and e~dedy adults, along with about 8% of the population whose primary language is not English. As shown in Table 2-1 above, about 23% of the population are children ~ess than 18 years old, while about 13% are adults over 65 years old. There are relatively minor differences in some data categories between the entire metropolitan area, the cities of Eugene and Springfield, and in areas outside of city limits but within Lane County or the metropolitan statistica~ area used by the Census. For example, Springfield has a higher percentage of Spanish speaking residents and a lower percentage of Asian speaking residents than does Eugene. However, these differences are probably not large enough to be significant for most emergency planning purposes. The Census website (www.census.gov) has a vast amount of other economic and demographic data for Lane County, the Eugene/Springfield Metro Area and the cities of Eugene and Springfield. See the website for additional demographic data, including school enrollment, educational levels, disability status, and many other categories of demographic data. 2,2 Employment and Economics in the earliest years, the economy of the Eugene/Springfield Metro Area was largely agrarian; wheat was the first commercial crop. Industrialization began in the 1850s with the construction of the millrace to provide water power for flour mills, lumber mills, and later for woolen mills. The Willamette River was the major transportation artery for the region. In the 1870s, development accelerated when the railroad from California reached Eugene. Through the mid-20th century, the lumber industry was a very important segment of the local economy. However, by the 1990s, the lumber industry had declined in importance, with economic growth in new sectors, including the high-tech sector. The major employment categories in the Eugene/Springfield Metro Area are government (Federal, State, County, and the Cities), education, wood products, and the high-tech sector. Education has been a major segment of the regional economy since the founding of the University of Oregon in 1872. Over the next century, several private co~leges and Lane Community College have added to the importance of the education sector to the economy of the Eugene/Springfield metropolitan area. Selected economic data for Lane County from the 2000 Census are summarized below in Table Public Review Draft August 6, 2004 2-2