The Orange region has the capacity to be a sustainable home for about 60,000 people.
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That's the view of mayor Cr Reg Kidd who said there was room to grow from today's population of about 42,000.
Based on current population growth of about 2 per cent, or several hundred people a year, it would take many years to reach 60,000.
"I don't think it will happen in my lifetime," he said.
However Cr Kidd said technological changes would enable the city to support a larger population.
"I think what will happen is you will see incredible growth in the towns and villages around Orange, your Spring Hills, your Millthorpes, your Molongs," he said.
Cr Kidd said the Orange region would be enticing to people from other areas who could move here and work from home with technology.
And he said there would be sufficient water for the city with more people.
Cr Kidd said improvements such as storm water harvesting, reducing use and other methods of obtaining water would ensure the city would not run out.
He said even with one of the worst droughts ending last year Orange had enough to survive.
"[At the lowest point] we had 21.5 per cent [storage capacity remaining] which is one-and-a-half years of water if it didn't rain again," he said.
Cr Kidd said Orange did not have the tightest water restrictions in the country.
"Technology is making areas more and more sustainable. Somewhere between 50,000 and 60,000 is sustainable, 50,000 is sustainable with the planning we have now."
He said it was likely that changes in the way people worked and shopped increasingly online would mean the city did not need to increase its number of shops and workplaces substantially to service a significant population increase.
"The growth of Orange is not just dependent on looking at Orange. It is part of regionalisation."
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