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001258 Dr aft - 9/ S 1 population dropped from 35,270 to 27,520 people, a 22 percent decline, and the Rio Grande Region lost about 11,640 people (from 48,940 to 37,300), a 24 percent decline. Both regions experi- enced population losses during every ten-year period from 1940 to 1970. During the nine-year period 1970 to 1979 the decline con- tlnued at a slow rate in both the Rio Grande and Northern High Plains Regions, each of whieh experienced a loss of about 100 people. The four Western Slope regions, where only about 10 percent of the state's total populat ion lived ln 1979, have all experi- enced net growth between 1940 and 1979. The Colorado Mainstem was the only region whlch recorded growth during every ten-year census from 1940 to 1979. Between 1970 and 1979, the Western Slope regions were I , ....,.. growing faster on a percentage basis than were the state's other regions. The Northwest Region was the leader with a 69.9 percent increase in population to 30,400 from 17,900. Next in rate of growth was the Colorado Mainstem which grew from 89,700 to 136,300, or 52 percent for the nine-year period. During the same period, the Southwest Region grew by 29.3 percent and the Gunni- son Region by 24 percent. Although these rates of growth are quite high, due to the sm~ll populations involved, the actual increase in numbers of people has been small when compared to areas along the Front Range corridor. The total population of all four western regions in 1979 was about 270,900. By contrast, the Platte Region alone grew by 365,020 people between 1970 and 1979. 17