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Paso Robles poised to pass SLOMonday, November 20, 2006It was very much a tale of two cities Friday when Bill Watkins of the UCSB Economic Forecast Project presented his San Luis Obispo County Economic Outlook for 2007.The two cities are San Luis Obispo and Paso Robles. The contrasts between the two highlight why Watkins expects Paso Robles to become the largest city in the county by 2020 - or even sooner. Paso Robles is growing in almost all areas of employment except manufacturing, which is falling nationwide, Watkins said. San Luis Obispo, on the other hand, showed declines in virtually every employment category except service jobs over the past three years, he added. Paso Robles' nominal median home price to date in 2006 is $452,283, second-lowest in the county behind Oceano ($409,993), while the median in San Luis Obispo is $655,323, third-highest behind the coastal communities of Pismo Beach ($800,793) and Cambria ($752,701). But Watkins noted that much of what Paso Robles has going for it is the way it has handled its growth. "Paso Robles, in my mind, is what can be done with growth if you're smart about it," he told a nearly packed house at the Performing Arts Center at Cal Poly. "They have a good downtown that's complementary to the wine industry, and they've put the stuff you don't want to see south of town," he said. All that combined makes the city attractive to young families who are fleeing San Luis Obispo and other areas of the county, he said. As a result, Paso Robles' population grew by almost 3.3 percent in 2005, while San Luis Obispo actually lost population - less than 200 people, but still a loss. "If San Luis Obispo sees no population growth and Paso Robles grows at 3 percent, Paso Robles will be the county's largest city in 15 years," he said. "But if San Luis Obispo continues its population decline and Paso Robles grows at rates closer to historical rates, Paso Robles will be the county's largest city even sooner." Article: Paso poised to be SLO County leader Santa Maria Times, Mike Hodgson Tags: San Luis Obispo Central Coast Real Estate |
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