This paper is to examine the growth and distribution of population in Chiayi city, a city which is located in the agricultural area of southern Taiwan. The researcher hopes the study will be helpful to the understanding of the growth and distribution of population in the same type of cities, and can be used as references in comparison with other type of cities. The data and information of population from 1950 to 1990 from the household registation in Chiayi city are employed for this analysis. The findings are as follows: (1) The growth of population in the central ciyt situated in the agricultural area grows so slowly that it only increase 2.3 times during forty years. The number of average increase in population each year is about 4000; the average increase rate in population each year is 28.16/1000. (2) The pattern of the natural increase in population in this central city is similar to that of other types of cities in Taiwan. (3) The net in-migration before 1970 was the main cause of the growth of population. After that time, the net out-migration became more obvious and resulted in the slow growth in population. (4) The period of the fast growth of population was between 1950 and 1960; the population in the center decreased gradually after 1960. In the past ten years, 95% of the city center experienced population decline, while the population near the main transportation routes in the suburbs grew very fast and became the main areas of population redistribution. (5) The spatial distribution of population scatters gradually: two-thirds of population concentrated in the city center 40 years ago, but now only one-third of population does.