The last 10 years were tough on neighborhoods everywhere, with the mortgage meltdown and plunging property values and record foreclosures and all.

Now, newly released 2010 census data tells us just how tough it was on older neighborhoods in the core of Colorado Springs.

While El Paso County’s population was exploding by an additional 20 percent during the decade, established Springs neighborhoods were suffering significant shrinkage.

Glance at the interactive map The Gazette’s Maria St. Louis-Sanchez created to show population shifts.

Neighborhoods along the perimeter of the city are burning up with new residents, shown on the map in red, orange and gold.

Then check out the  blue/gray masses signifying populations losses. They spread from Peregrine, Rockrimmon and Briargate up north to the Broadmoor and Stratton Meadows on the south. And from the West side to Patty Jewett to Cimarron Hills in the east.

Here’s a list of some of the neighborhoods, based on census tracts, and their population losses in 2000-2010.

Bonnyville ………………………………….. -5.3 percent

Broadmoor …………………………………. -4.2

Chapel Hills/Briargate ………………….. -4
Cimarron Hills ……………………………. -8.3
                               ……………………………. -2.3

Cragmor …………………………………….. -7.4

Dublin/Academy …………………………. -4.5

Hillside ………………………………………. -5.3

Holland Park ………………………………. -8.6

Norwood ……………………………………. -3.7

Old Farm ……………………………………. -1.7

Old North End …………………………….. -5.4

Palmer Park ………………………………… -8.2
                          ………………………………… -3.8

Patty Jewett ………………………………… -11.3
                           ………………………………… -10

Peregrine …………………………………….. -2.2

Rockrimmon ……………………………….. -2.4

Roswell ……………………………………….. -8.7

Shooks Run ………………………………… -11.5

Stratton Hills ………………………………. -10.2

Stratton Meadows ……………………….. -17.5

Village Seven  ………………………………. -6.5
                             ……………………………….. -5.8

West side ……………………………………. -9.3
                     ……………………………………. -8.3
                     ……………………………………. -5.7
                     ……………………………………. -5

Woodland Hills/Briargate …………….. -8.8

“It could be cyclical,” said Steve Tuck, a longtime city planner. “Most of those areas are fairly stable.

“It could be we’re seeing an aging population with children leaving home. As a result, the average size of household is declining.”

Check out this snapshot from the Census data. It is typical of the decline in children being seen in neighborhoods. The percentage of adults is jumping as the younger population plunges.

El Paso County Commissioner Sallie Clark, a Westsider, said the numbers bolster the need to reinvest in older neighborhoods.

“This really makes the argument for putting dollars into redeveloping older areas,” she said. “These areas have infrastructure issues. Some have been neglected for years. Curbs and gutters are crumbling.

 “If we really don’t want urban sprawl, we better pay attention to the core of the city. Don’t sacrifice the old for the new.”

Here’s a look at the unincorporated Stratton Meadows neighborhood on the city’s southern edge:

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