West Virginia is losing population because Obama has destroyed the coal industry. Why are people fleeing the rest of these shitholes?
You will find more statistics at Statista
As of April 2016, the U.S. population stands at 323,341,000 with 81 percent of that number living in cities or suburbs. Even though America’s urban population has been increasing in recent years, at least 23 metropolitan areas have seen a population decline. Farmington, New Mexico, is the fastest-shrinking city in the country, having experienced a population decline of 8.76 percent between 2010 and 2015. It is known for having low income levels along with a violent crime rate in excess of the national average.
Well I’m sure it is obvious why Flint and Saginaw are shrinking. I’m sure a quick glance at the business closure timelines for the other cities would make it self evident what happened there as well. When a huge plant closes, it often takes quite a while for the businesses that popped up around it to finally go under. It is sad really, it is like watching a tree die after a huge chunk of its main root has been gouged out.
True, I421, business closings can kill a city. Sydney, OH went way downhill when the Wagner works died off. That was a different case of course, Sydney wasn’t a complete FSA hellhole sucking the life out of Wagner, but it’s an illustration, nonetheless.
I was in Moab Ut last month, the woman cleaning my room told me she had moved from Flint once she found out I was from Michigan as well.
I had been out shooting the milkyway and then the sunrise in the Arches, so I was just getting back to my room at 10:30 am when she wanted to clean it.
Anyway, she had a good job working on the line, then once obama “saved” the auto industry her company had extra money, her plant was closed and moved offshore.
Said she was very happy to get out of Flint and very happy to be out west even if she was cleaning rooms.
Service jobs, it’s where it’s at.
“Service jobs, it’s where it’s at.”
Service jobs, it’s all there is.
There.
I call bullshit on this one, I live about 7 miles from Farmington, NM at most it has about 50 thousand people. Now San Juan county may have 118.000 people but that consists of Aztec and Bloomfield.
We are Oil and Gas here and our population ebbs and flows with the market, right now we are being hit hard with layoffs but we are used to it. We have been pumping oil and gas here for 60+ years fracking for 40 of those years the rag-heads have stuck it too us as far as fracking goes but we will survive! As far as violent crime bullshit again probably the cops reporting false BS to get more fed money.
Aside from the raw numbers, there’s also the brain-drain factor.
I grew up near Saginaw, Michigan. I was a smart kid and hung out with smart kids. (All of us graduated in the top 10% of our high school glass.) Now, most of us “smart kids” live in different states, where there’s more opportunity. Meanwhile, our “less smart” counterparts are still there.
It’s not just that these places are losing people. They’re losing their smartest, most ambitious people, which will only make it that much harder for these cities to turn things around.
card: Moab? I was just there for Jeep Safari 50th. Neat place and the Moab Brewing Co was almost worth the trip! 10,000 jeeps and not one problem(at least that is what I saw). I wonder why?