Northern suburbs attract young families

More and more families, such as Katie Pearce, her fiance and their two young children, are making the move to Perth's northern suburbs, with figures yesterday revealing the area looks set to experience some of the highest population growth in WA over the next decade.

Revised forecasts released by the State Government revealed the population in the City of Wanneroo, which includes Butler, Alkimos, Jindalee and Carramar, is likely to double by 2026.

Wanneroo is expected to have the biggest population metropolitan growth with an extra 128,000 people while Mandurah is tipped to have the biggest growth in the non-metropolitan area.

Ms Pearce said yesterday she was surprised by the forecasts, saying there would be the need for a local hospital and more health services if the population continued to grow in the area.

She said Butler, where she lives with her young family, had most of the necessary amenities and infrastructure and she was looking forward to the completion of the railway line.

Ms Pearce was not bothered by predictions the suburb would continue to grow at a rapid rate, although she hoped it would lead to more recreational facilities, such as swimming pools, for young families.