There's a new member to the Portland region's 50,000 club.
Tigard is the sixth city in the metropolitan area with 50,000 residents, the Census Bureau said Wednesday, after releasing its population estimates from July 2013.
With an estimated 50,444 residents, Tigard is the third city in Washington County with more than 50,000 residents.
Hillsboro continued to inch closer to the 100,000 mark, with an estimated 97,368 residents – 2,013 more than Hillsboro was estimated to have in 2012. That city's 2.11 percent growth rate from 2012 to 2013 was the highest in the metro area.
"Our continued growth is a reflection of our leadership in planning to provide job opportunities and recreational experiences that enhance our residents’ quality of life and inspire others to want to join our community," Hillsboro Mayor Jerry Willey said.
The Census Bureau estimated that Portland gained 6,430 residents from 2012 to 2013, a marked slowdown from its estimated growth of nearly 10,000 residents from 2011 to 2012.
The 2013 estimates show 4.4 percent growth in the Rose City since 2010. Portland is now estimated to have 609,456 residents. Its growth rate is 39th highest in the United States since 2010 among cities with more than 200,000 people – a list that includes many sprawling suburban communities, such as Irvine, Calif., Gilbert, Ariz., and Plano, Texas.
Portland fell one spot to 29th largest city in the United States, as Oklahoma City passed both the Rose City and Louisville, Ky.
In the Pacific Northwest, Bend had the highest growth rate from 2012-13, estimated at 2.9 percent.
Tigard was Oregon's fourth-fastest growing city, with 1.3 percent growth. It's seen 5 percent growth since 2010.
"Even in the face of the recession, the region and specifically the Southwest Corridor is continuing to grow at a significant rate," said Metro Councilor Craig Dirksen, a former Tigard mayor, in an email. "This serves to reinforce the need for good, innovative land use planning and investment in transportation improvements to deal with this growth, support the economy, and protect our quality of life."
Gresham grew to 109,397 residents in 2013, the Census Bureau said, and Beaverton grew to 93,542 residents. Vancouver had an estimated 167,405 residents.
Nationwide, the Austin suburb of Cedar Park, Texas has grown the fastest since 2010, increasing its population by 25 percent. Among large cities, Austin has had the most growth since 2010 – it's now the 11th largest city in the United States.
The Census released county-level and metropolitan area estimates in March. The Portland region was estimated to have 2.3 million residents in 2013.