Book Description

The 1983 report provided a preliminary analysis of the impact of the General Motors plant (Wentzville) on a four-county area: St. Charles, Warren, Lincoln, and Montgomery counties. The 1984 report continues an assessment of the effects of the GM plant, within the context of the overall growth and development occurring in the region. The following report provides a brief review of the population and demographic trends in the four-county area, as well as some revisions of our earlier assumptions concerning the GM production schedule and in-migration of workers to the area. Also included in this update is a separate sub-report on the growing health services in the area. The 1986 report has as its purpose to monitor population change between 1080 and 1990 in the four-county area, and to study how the introduction of a large auto assembler plant is affecting population and economic growth. The initial report issued in 1983, analyzed 1980 Census data, and made detailed economic projections concerning the auto plant. The first update in 1984 estimated population growth since 1980, studied commuting patterns of GM workers, and offered a major analysis of the growth of healthcare facilities in the four county area. In this report (May, 1986) we update population change from 1980-1986, and project population size for 1990. These data show continued rapid growth in St. Charles Co., and substantial increase in the rate of growth for Lincoln and Warren County. This update (May, 1986) also contains new information on the residence and commuting patterns of GM workers, and an analysis of several key local economic indicators. In our last report, twenty-two months ago, population growth and development was centered primarily in St. Charles County. Today that rapid growth continues, and St. Charles is currently the fastest growing county in the state. However all our data shows an increase in population growth rate in other parts of the four-county area as well. While Montgomery County remains essentially stable in size, urban sprawl, we will discuss several indicators as they apply to each of the four counties--From the reports.