The Washington Post posted a story this afternoon about the influx of people into the greated DC area. 75,000 people moved to the area last year, and a quarter of those folks moved to formerly rural Louden County.

So if you’ve noticed rush hour getting worse over the past year or so, you can take to heart that it’s not just you imagining things. There are indeed increasing numbers of people living, and thus commuting, in DC. I wonder how long the local traffic infrastructure will hold up. Driving downtown is already crazy, and driving in some of the close-in suburbs is quite unpleasant. Metro is reaching ever-higher levels of ridership. Also consider the lack of affordable housing in the area. It’s hard for a single college grad to find an affordable place to live, not to mention an immigrant family. Area governments are going to have a lot to deal with in the near future, and they need to begin planning for growth now.