Why Are These Cities Shrinking?

[Qs Laptop]

This is another one of those clickbait articles similar to the many articles on "Best Places to Retire", but with a different angle, loathing of older people.

The article is mostly innocuous drivel obviously written by AI bot, but near the end it gets interesting. Check out the reasons why people are leaving Beckley, WV. Then look at Reidsville, GA. I'm thinking this is where an actual human stepped in and edited the AI content. In fact, I'd say this person hates West Virginia -- take a look at the entry for Weirton, WV:

Welcome to the land where the hillbilly was born and is still going strong. No wonder people are leaving Weirton; there is little opportunity for career growth, extremely conservative beliefs, little diversity, poor healthcare, and horrible school systems all make this terribly small town a nightmare to raise a family in. On top of all that, Weirton has an aging population, with more than one in every five Weirton residents 65 or older. With nothing to do except go to Wal-Mart if you want anything to do after nine pm, we'd also want to scoot on out if we lived here.

Look at the description of Zephyrhills, FL:
It's not difficult to see why so many have left; it's very slow-paced, mostly due to the elderly population and the fact that there's not much to do around. People are nice for the most part; however, driving must be horrible here.

https://www.heraldweekly.com/why-are-these-us-cities-shrinking-so-fast/77?xcmg=1

 

[JoeWras]

I'm sorry I clicked the article.

There's so much bias on various topics in what they are saying it makes me want to puke. Aside from the ageism slant, there's a hard line political slant too.

But nevermind, I've said enough.

 

[Car-Guy]

^^^^^
Thanks.... I won't click on the link.

 

[frayne]

I'm a sucker for you-tube videos along similar lines but then you realize 95% have an angle or agenda they're working.

 

[skyking1]

I did not even need to skim it, thank you Joe for confirming my gut. As I am wont to say, thanks for taking one for the team.
When I saw the title I thought that it might be interesting and related to the move out of the office post-covid.
Seattle's building permits are down 50~60% on new commercial builds, for example. There is a glut of office space there.
Residential permits are down 33%.
One of the region's major employers (MSFT) is set to cut jobs and freeze wages.
People are not so much moving away as not moving in, and the normal attrition does the rest.

 

[Andre1969]

It's definitely written by ChatGTP or something like that. Or someone who's totally clueless. For instance, here's what it says about Baltimore, MD:

"Although it might be one of the most well-known cities in America, Baltimore has witnessed a steady decline in population since the 50s. With 1.2% of the city’s population leaving between 2018 and 2019, which means approximately 7,200 people backed their bags in search of greener pastures.

Baltimore's cost of living is 17% higher than the national average and that problem is part of a broader issue for Baltimore, with an estimated 3% population decrease since 2000."

Baltimore has a population of around 575,000, and has been in decline for decades. I think it hit its peak in the 1950s, with around 950,000 people. Anyway, population-wise, I'm sure it ranks low enough these days that, once you get outside of the DC/Baltimore/Philly region (it all kinda runs together these days), Baltimore probably isn't that high up on the list of things most Americans think about. And if they do, it's for all the wrong reasons. Number one being the homicide rate, which lately has been running something like 50-55 per 100K of population. When it comes to larger cities, those with a population of 250K or more, I think only St. Louis is worse. And on top of the homicides, there's just crime in general, and blight galore. It has its good areas, to be sure, that that's not what makes the news.

Also, I seriously doubt anyone kept close enough tabs on the comings and goings of residents to accurately pinpoint that 1.2% leaving between 2018 and 2019. The Census only updates once every 10 years, although there are estimates for other years.

As for that 17% higher than the national average cost of living? Maybe it's higher than the national average, but it's still cheaper than most of the surrounding areas, so that point is pretty meaningless. Baltimore is only "expensive" in the sense that it has so many financial problems, the rest of the country is subsidizing it!

And about that 3% reduction in population since 2000? Umm, try again. Baltimore's population in 2000 was around 650,000 residents. a ~75K drop is just a bit more than 3%.

Some of those "cities" the site mentions are just bumps in the road, and not even worth mentioning. Might as well report on Hooterville's population dropping by 10% because Lisa divorced Oliver and moved away because New York was where she'd rather stay!

 

[Gremlin]

Forget ageism. Its biggest bias seemed to be towards small towns/country living or something. As someone who lives in the country, I’m used to all the assumptions people make about those of us who do. And I usually ignore this kind of click bait article but this statement got me really riled: “ As you may already know, Idaho has nothing else going for it other than potatoes.”

Now, I don’t live in Idaho. I don’t know a single person in Idaho. But I just returned from a road trip to Idaho to ride the Coeur d’alene bike trail. Beautiful state, gorgeous views, plenty to do (especially if you like the outdoors) and very friendly people (both the tourists and the locals)

Perhaps it was meant as a joke? Whatever.

Note to self: continue to not click on the click bait articles!

 

[skyking1]

^ all of that. Just don't do it.

 

[Major Tom]

The sentence, “As you may already know, Idaho has nothing else going for it other than potatoes” reads like something from a satirical/comic article or book, such as might have been written by Dave Barry or Bill Bryson.

 

[Sunset]

It's definitely written by ChatGTP or something like that. Or someone who's totally clueless. For instance, here's what it says about Baltimore, MD:

.....

Also, I seriously doubt anyone kept close enough tabs on the comings and goings of residents to accurately pinpoint that 1.2% leaving between 2018 and 2019. The Census only updates once every 10 years, although there are estimates for other years.

....

I worked in Baltimore for some months... where I lived the large houses seemed to be in a state of decline, too bad as some were pretty interesting.

I think moving companies can give pretty good estimates as they know how many people moved from 1 location to another. I'm sure the estimates are like the population signs of a city, they are just approximate, but close enough for comparisons.

 

[Gremlin]

The sentence, “As you may already know, Idaho has nothing else going for it other than potatoes” reads like something from a satirical/comic article or book, such as might have been written by Dave Barry or Bill Bryson.

This particular line actually felt more passive aggressive, like when someone is trying to be “funny” but everyone else knows it’s just plain mean. I’m sure they (or the AI) thought they were being cute. Perhaps I could have found the line amusing if they hadn’t just spent paragraph after paragraph leaving a very bad taste in mouth.

 

[Qs Laptop]

I usually ignore this kind of click bait article but this statement got me really riled: “ As you may already know, Idaho has nothing else going for it other than potatoes.”



Now, I don’t live in Idaho. I don’t know a single person in Idaho. But I just returned from a road trip to Idaho to ride the Coeur d’alene bike trail. Beautiful state, gorgeous views, plenty to do (especially if you like the outdoors) and very friendly people (both the tourists and the locals)



Perhaps it was meant as a joke? Whatever.



Note to self: continue to not click on the click bait articles!

Speaking of Idaho the ChatBot can't seem to make up its mind:

None in Idaho
While multiple smaller cities across the US feeling decrease in their population, there wasn't a single city in Idaho. It appears that people are coming from all over to find a place to call home in Idaho, and they aren't only moving to the cities. By a bunch of measures, Idaho is a land of opportunity. Every town and city in Idaho is growing, and even the smaller towns dotted around the state are facing population increases.

And then further into the article:
Kamiah, Idaho
As you may already know, Idaho has nothing else going for it other than potatoes, while Kamiah might a beautiful town, there's not much else going on, besides a few bars and one restaurant that closes at 4 pm, leaving a lot to be desired. Over the last decade, the population has dropped by 12%.

And then there is this, in an article about shrinking cities:
El Paso is seeing many of its residents leave, but more people arrive than depart, giving the city a population slight increase of 5.2%.

 

[MichaelB]

Looking over the other articles attributed to this author at the Herald Weekly is interesting. Most of the articles are lists of some sort, like this one. Best small towns, strangest sports, and so on. The writer is an aggregator and there is little journalistic added value. This is pure ”entertainment value” and there may be some AI assistance.

 

[skyking1]

IOW, clickbait by definition.

 

[Koolau]

I suspect a real discussion of why certain cities are shrinking - using data other than "you don't like the people there" or "there's nothing to do after 8PM" would include statistics on job opportunity, weather, crime, politics, demographics, etc. - all the stuff you see in the "places rated" articles.

Insulting a place as the reason folks are leaving seems totally useless to me.

Heh, heh, but thanks for sharing the article.

 

[MC Rider]

Will not read the clickbait. We left the big city to get away from the traffic and too many people. There is a bar nearby, don't know when they close, and don't know if there is anything else to do after 8 PM. I have not been out that late.


They would probably roll the sidewalks up, if we had sidewalks. Takes about an hour to get to Wal Mart. Works for me. I do notice there's a lot of old people here. Almost makes me feel young.

 

[Chuckanut]

This is another one of those clickbait articles similar to the many articles on "Best Places to Retire", but with a different angle, loathing of older people.

The article is mostly innocuous drivel obviously written by AI bot, but near the end it gets interesting. Check out the reasons why people are leaving Beckley, WV. Then look at Reidsville, GA. I'm thinking this is where an actual human stepped in and edited the AI content. In fact, I'd say this person hates West Virginia -- take a look at the entry for Weirton, WV:

Welcome to the land where the hillbilly was born and is still going strong. No wonder people are leaving Weirton; there is little opportunity for career growth, extremely conservative beliefs, little diversity, poor healthcare, and horrible school systems all make this terribly small town a nightmare to raise a family in. On top of all that, Weirton has an aging population, with more than one in every five Weirton residents 65 or older. With nothing to do except go to Wal-Mart if you want anything to do after nine pm, we'd also want to scoot on out if we lived here.

Look at the description of Zephyrhills, FL:
It's not difficult to see why so many have left; it's very slow-paced, mostly due to the elderly population and the fact that there's not much to do around. People are nice for the most part; however, driving must be horrible here.

https://www.heraldweekly.com/why-are-these-us-cities-shrinking-so-fast/77?xcmg=1

They sound like they were written by a refugee from an over populated city that made too many Best Places to Live lists.

Lesser West Virginia is the strategy.
Keep them out!!!! Is the goal.

 

[Gumby]

They sound like they were written by a refugee from an over populated city that made too many Best Places to Live lists.

Keep them out!!!!

My guess is that the person who wrote this (if it was really a person and not ChatGPT) has not actually been to any of these places.

 

[MC Rider]

Probably correct. They are just spouting silly stereotypes.

 

[W2R]

I read this type of article and listen to similar videos, because I love reading the comments (if commenting is allowed after the article). Often such comments are written by people who actually live in these towns, and can refute many of the statements in the article.

 

[Andre1969]

On a similar note, I remember reading one of those "25 worst states to retire" articles awhile back. For Maryland, they said traffic and the weather were horrible, and made some statement like "running the risk of getting stranded in gridlocked beach traffic, and suddenly having to deal with a freak blizzard or tornado!"

Right on, because tornado season and blizzard season happen to be the same time as beach season. Seriously, who comes up with this crap? Tornado season is pretty much late March thru May, so I guess that could overlap with Memorial Day weekend? Oddly, the only time I've ever actually seen a tornado (well funnel cloud) was in August, in Bowie MD. And I remember one hitting the U of MD in College Park so late in the season, that we actually had frost a few days later.

Last time we had anything I'd call a "blizzard" was around February 2016. We got about 19 inches, which I thought was convenient of Mother Nature. 19" is about the max that I can clear with the snowblower with just one pass. Any higher, and I have to make two. That blizzard was a lot worse though, depending on where in MD you live. I think just going to western Laurel, only 10-15 miles away, and they got something like 30".

I think Maryland usually gets slammed for high taxes and high housing costs, and on many occasions I've heard people say "Nobody retires TO Maryland". But again, how expensive it is for you is going to depend on where you live, how long you've been there, and what your financial situation is. For instance, you may live in a neighborhood of $1M+ homes with high property taxes, but if you've been there long enough and your mortgage is paid off, and your property taxes are capped by the homestead tax credit, it's not going to be the financial burden for you, that it would be for someone just moving in.

 

[Gumby]

After living in 14 different states, I have concluded that Connecticut is the best of all possible places for me and I'm never going to leave, so I have no need to read these types of articles. And if I were looking for somewhere new, I would do my own primary research rather than relying on click bait nonsense like this.

That is especially true of the weather, which can vary wildly within a single state, even one as small as mine (50 miles north to south and 100 miles east to west). Here in southwest Connecticut, the weather forecasts differ significantly depending on whether you are north or south of the Merritt Parkway, which runs about five miles inland from the coast.

For Maryland, the weather in St Michaels on the eastern shore is almost always going to be completely different than it is in Cumberland up in the mountains.

 

[braumeister]

I think the vast majority of us simply ignore these clickbait pieces.

 

[Koolau]

The city of Honolulu and the Hawaiian Islands are shrinking in population. I could talk for hours about why, but most of it is economic plus educational and empl*yment opportunities. With that in mind:


It's really weird. When someone finds out I live in Hawaii, they may ask a specific question like "How do you afford to live there?" I always tell them the good the bad and the ugly about prices in Paradise. I explain what sacrifices you might need to make to live here.

BUT when someone says Hey, you live in Hawaii. Is it as perfect as every one says? I tend to tell them all the negative stuff. I don't think I'm trying to keep folks from moving, but I think I just want them to know that it's just like any other place with good and bad.

I tell them to watch "DECENDANTS" - especially George Clooney (Matt King character) give a voice over soliloquy about Island life - how all the bad stuff that happens elsewhere (cancer, homelessness, poverty, broken relationships, etc.) happen in Hawaii just like any place else. It's poignant, powerful and utterly true.

Having said that, I'm still in love with the Islands even though I understand the following: Wherever you go (The South Pole or Hawaii) you are still you with all your attitudes, illnesses, age, relationship issues, etc.) You can go to a place you love (like Hawaii) but you are still you. Ideally, you would w*rk on "you" before you go someplace else. I did that - primarily through raising kids. I grew up more than they did (and, full disclosure: I still have a long way to go.) YMMV

 

[W2R]

[...] all the bad stuff that happens elsewhere (cancer, homelessness, poverty, broken relationships, etc.) happen in Hawaii just like any place else. It's poignant, powerful and utterly true.

Exactly! People on the internet seem to think that New Orleanians spend all their time down on Bourbon Street drinking and partying and engaging in illicit hedonistic behaviors. And sure, all that is easily available here, IF you have the inclination and time for that sort of thing. Me? I haven't set foot on Bourbon Street since 1999.

Most people here have to work, get groceries, do laundry, clean house, drive the kids places, mow the lawn, and all the other things that people do elsewhere, so living here is a bit different from vacationing here. And as you point out, all the bad stuff that happens elsewhere happens here too from time to time. Life is always a gamble.

I think that's one reason why I love living in New Orleans so much - - all those years living in Hawaii taught me not to expect anywhere to be paradise.