Why is Chicago losing population? (Manhattan, Atlanta: sale, house, schools)

[Fishtacos]

How much longer before Rockford is considered part of Metro Chicago?....and elsewhere. That's what the growth is about, the outlying areas and towns, and even other states considered part of the Metro area.

[Humboldt1]

So long as there are corn fields in Belvidere, Huntley, and DeKalb it may be awhile before Rockford is part of the Chicago metro. I think the Chicago metro pretty much extends west to Route 47 at this point. It used to end at Randall Road 5 years ago. (A friend of mine got a speeding ticket for going 99 mph there in 2002, you couldn't do that now if you tried with all the lights and the traffic). There is alot of corn around the area between Randall and Route 47 (some even on Randall Road) now. I have also noticed that developments in that area have slowed.

I know the commercial banking community is in no hurry to issue new credit facilities to builders who are building houses that may drop in value (not like in CA or FL, but values are going down slightly in Chicago metro).

[Lookout Kid]

Originally Posted by Fishtacos

How much longer before Rockford is considered part of Metro Chicago?....and elsewhere. That's what the growth is about, the outlying areas and towns, and even other states considered part of the Metro area.

The Census tracks information on employment, commuting, and other economic factors. They have a forumla used to compute metro areas, and it is related to the economic dependency and commuting patterns of a town's residents. This is why Kenosha is considered part of the Chicago metro area and Racine is part of Milwaukee's--even though they are just minutes apart. And as long as Rockford maintains some economic and commuting independence from metro Chicago, it will be counted seperately.

[soulful]

AP story just out. Chicago is on the top 10 hotspot list for population growth. Note Dallas had the most growth:

4 Texas Cities Among Top 10 in Growth - AOL News (broken link)

[oakparkdude]

Originally Posted by dsimicata

AP story just out. Chicago is on the top 10 hotspot list for population growth. Note Dallas had the most growth:

4 Texas Cities Among Top 10 in Growth - AOL News (broken link)

Very interesting. It'd be interesting to see a link to the original US census data. It'd be even better if someone could arrange the data in a graphical format, maybe using one of those pictograms.

[Steve-o]

Originally Posted by sukwoo

Very interesting. It'd be interesting to see a link to the original US census data. It'd be even better if someone could arrange the data in a graphical format, maybe using one of those pictograms.

The Trib had a small graph today, illustrating growth of the top 10 cities, but nothing too elaborate.

[Fishtacos]

Originally Posted by Lookout Kid

The Census tracks information on employment, commuting, and other economic factors. They have a forumla used to compute metro areas, and it is related to the economic dependency and commuting patterns of a town's residents. This is why Kenosha is considered part of the Chicago metro area and Racine is part of Milwaukee's--even though they are just minutes apart. And as long as Rockford maintains some economic and commuting independence from metro Chicago, it will be counted seperately.

I was just having some fun.

[LakeShoreSoxGo]

I donno....all this growth has consequences... we'll see.

[lenniel]

Originally Posted by CHICAGOLAND92

In 2000, the population was 2,896,016.
The 2006 estimate (according to City-Data) was 2,833,321.

Does anyone else find this suprising, since there is a lot of gentrification happening around the city, as well as many condos being built downtown?

Because the weather and city/county government all suck.

[babigyrl5]

For me, the cost of living was too high. I was born and raised on the south side in Beverly and after college I didn't want to move back in with my parents but I couldnt afford a place on my own. So I moved to Cincinnati for a job offer and now I live in the most expensive area in town, with a view of the river and the kentucky hills AND I'm 7 minutes from downtown and Im only paying $625 for a huge two bedroom apartment. The dont tax on food at grocery stores or restaurants and gas is very cheap. I would love to move back home but I doubt I ever will since I cant afford it. The closest I will probably get to home is Michigan and with their economy, I dont see that happening either...