Central Otago Mayor Tony Lepper was pleased to see steady growth in the Central Otago region in the latest census figures, released on Tuesday.
The population growth in the past seven years was 7.5%, which followed 15.1% growth for the 2001-06 census period.
''There's nothing surprising - good growth in the area around Alexandra and the expected growth in Cromwell and Clyde,'' Mr Lepper said.
Although the population of Roxburgh and Ranfurly had dropped, he said in both cases, there was population growth in the nearby area, which would help businesses in those towns. Roxburgh had declined from 621 residents in 2001 to 522 in 2013, while Ranfurly decreased from 732 in 2001 to 663 this year.
Central Otago District Council economic development manager Warwick Hawker said it was interesting that the greatest growth in the district had happened in the Dunstan area, the rural area between Clyde, Alexandra and Omakau.
The population of that area had grown by 741 people in the past seven years. The next fastest-growing area was Cromwell, with an extra 561 people, compared with 2006.
''The general folklore is that all the growth is happening in Cromwell, but this would seem to disprove that,'' Mr Hawker said.
Alexandra had the biggest population, with 4800 of the 17,895 residents in the district. The Dunstan area was next with 4512 people, and Cromwell third with 4146.
The growth in lifestyle blocks probably helped boost Dunstan's population, he said. Roxburgh's location at the junction of two new ''significant'' cycle trails, should have a positive spin-off for the town and wider district. Mr Hawker said Central Otago's growth was ''impressive''.
''I didn't expect it to continue at the level of the last census but it's still an impressive result.''
