Population growth slowed last year in Atlanta

ATLANTA - The Atlanta Regional Commission reported Thursday that the population growth in Atlanta&#39;s 10 metro counties slowed somewhat in the last year, but the city of Atlanta bucked that trend, gaining 8,900 new residents, its highest single-year increase since the 1950s. <br> <br> Atlanta, which is in Fulton County, was the only area in the region to gain more people this year from last year (April 2001 to April 2002). <br> <br> Atlanta&#39;s population grew from 419,000 in 2001 to 428,000 in 2002. <br> <br> The Atlanta region gained 80,600 new residents during the period, lower than the past three year&#39;s annual average of 98,000 new residents.