So long, Provo; West Valley is No. 2

Move over, Provo. West Valley City is back in second place.

Fifty-seven days after a successful challenge of the U.S. Census Bureau's population estimates proclaimed Provo as the state's second-largest city, West Valley City has taken back the title.

West Valley officials announced Tuesday that its challenge to the Census estimates has been accepted, raising the city's population from 113,300 to 118,917.

That 5,617-person boost tops Provo's adjusted population by 3,602. In August, the bureau revised its estimate for Provo upward from 113,459 to 115,135. Salt Lake City tops the 2005 estimates at 178,097.

Provo spokeswoman Raylene Ireland said the city didn't expect to stay No. 2 for long.

"We fully anticipated that West Valley City would file an appeal and when they did that they'd be in second place," Ireland said.

West Valley officials initially held off on challenging the estimate because they didn't think the discrepancy would make much of a difference, said Aaron Crim, public relations director. City officials also expected the 2010 Census to confirm West Valley City's position as Utah's second most populous city.

"After looking closely at the numbers, we made the decision that a challenge would really be in our best interest," said Paul Isaac, acting city manager. "Just a few thousand residents can make a difference in the city's ability to secure federal funding. Our lobbying and transportation planning efforts are also directly affected."

Funding for federal programs and state tax distributions are tied to the Census estimates, and Crim said an increase in 5,600 people can make a significant difference.

Crim says ranking No. 2 in the state behind Salt Lake City also is a source of pride for city officials and residents.

"It kind of gives us that one-up when we're talking along the lines of lobbying to be able to say we're the second largest," he said. "It puts a picture on where we fit in Utah's population."

As for Provo, officials say they're content with their ranking.

"We may not be the second largest city in the state," Ireland said, "but in our minds, we're the greatest city in the state."

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Contributing: Tad Walch

E-mail: jpage@desnews.com