Recently, the Saint Cloud area has been experiencing a population boom for the records. With new neighborhoods being built at unparalleled speed, businesses popping up left and right, and prices going up, Saint Cloud residents are getting frustrated with the development. If you talk to any of the locals, you’ll know that this has gotten out of hand. As of 2023, St. Cloud’s population is 67.7k, a massive difference compared to the population in 2000, 20.1k.

This issue is larger than Saint Cloud, with the entire state of Florida experiencing the population growth. This is part of a larger problem, but it’s not all bad. One of the upsides is the development of businesses, like local small businesses and food trucks new to the area. New people, more communities, and opportunities for Saint Cloud residents. Even with the many upsides, the negatives heavily outweigh the positives.

The main issues are the terrible traffic and the hyper-expensive house market. If you’re taking the drive to OCSA on I-4, you’re familiar with just how bad the traffic has gotten. For many OCSA students, the drive takes upwards of 2-3 total hours a day. For those looking to move into Saint Cloud, the market is far too expensive for the value of the property. For Saint Cloud residents trying to move out, the market is severely over-saturated with new constructions, or cookie-cutter houses. The prices of houses are skyrocketing, affecting nearly everybody involved. Rent is going up for Saint Cloud residents and those seeking to move in, the houses on the market are at record prices, making it next-to impossible to live comfortably in the Saint Cloud area.

With that, it doesn’t look like the population boom is stopping any time soon. The Florida Chamber of Commerce says “Florida’s population is projected to increase by 6 million people for a total population of nearly 26 million by 2030. To put it in perspective, that’s larger than the current population of Australia.” Florida’s overpopulation is on the rise, and there’s not much we can do to stop it. If we let it continue, soon it may be impossible to live as a student in the state of Florida. But whatever comes of the recent population growth, Saint Cloud and Florida residents are looking at facing the consequences of mainstream consumerism and tourism in the Orlando area.