THE Note read with interest last week that Geraldton (pictured) is set to overtake Albany as the largest regional city in WA, according to Mid West tri-weekly, The Geraldton Guardian. The claim was based on a report by the Mid West Iron Ore Alliance – ‘Mining Expansion in the Mid West: Social and Economic Benefits’ – which predicts Geraldton will become the second biggest city in WA, outside Perth, over the next 25 years, due to an iron ore industry boom. An increase of 8,500 in the local workforce had the potential to raise the population level by 20,000 people, the report said, with most expected to settle in coastal areas around Geraldton, based on recent population trends. Albany currently leads the regional population table, with 33,364 residents, followed by Geraldton-Greenough (33,040), Bunbury (32,499), Kalgoorlie-Boulder (29,152) and Busselton (28,649).