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Old 01-13-2017, 04:39 PM
 
661 posts, read 518,364 times
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I live in the northeast right now, but sometimes the sunbelt seems like it will be Heaven. Especially in my area, and many others, lost so many people for decades and the city population is now under 100,000. The three local TV channels for my Area look like crappy college-produced news. And the local radio stations play the same crappy stuff.

I may be just thinking the grass was greener in the 60s-80s, but it's how I feel today.
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Old 01-13-2017, 04:59 PM
 
1,349 posts, read 1,697,720 times
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Nothing, as long as the area experiencing sudden growth is aware that it needs to build infrastructure and tax appropriately to afford the expenses that the new population will bring. Often, however, and area experiences explosive growth in part because it's known as a low tax burden state and when you add lots of people you get lots of public works needs, but if you are handing out tax breaks to corporations like candy at Halloween and have low prop taxes (which fund schools) you may find the area simply isn't ready for that growth.
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Old 01-13-2017, 05:01 PM
 
Location: Cbus
1,719 posts, read 2,088,123 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by ghostee View Post
I live in the northeast right now, but sometimes the sunbelt seems like it will be Heaven. Especially in my area, and many others, lost so many people for decades and the city population is now under 100,000. The three local TV channels for my Area look like crappy college-produced news. And the local radio stations play the same crappy stuff.

I may be just thinking the grass was greener in the 60s-80s, but it's how I feel today.
Certainly nothing wrong with economic growth and never have heard anyone suggest otherwise. Population growth generally is a positive occurrence for an area, however it can impact quality of life for long-term residents and may have environmental repercussions as well.

The "northeast" is a pretty large area. For instance, my hometown in New Jersey's population was 9,612 during the 1990 census. The 2015 census estimate puts it at 23,049. So contrary to popular belief not everywhere "up north" is dying and not everywhere down south is a boom town.

To your point there are several areas in the rustbelt who were hit hard when the nation switched from a manufacturing economy to a technology/service based economy. Some seem to be on an upward trajectory while others continue to sink and frankly might never come back.
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Old 01-13-2017, 05:09 PM
 
1,349 posts, read 1,697,720 times
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Nothing, as long as the area experiencing sudden growth is aware that it needs to build infrastructure and tax appropriately to afford the expenses that the new population will bring. Often, however, and area experiences explosive growth in part because it's known as a low tax burden state and when you add lots of people you get lots of public works needs, but if you are handing out tax breaks to corporations like candy at Halloween and have low prop taxes (which fund schools) you may find the area simply isn't ready for that growth.
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Old 01-13-2017, 07:35 PM
 
Location: New York NY
5,512 posts, read 8,722,393 times
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Another problem with sudden growth in a city is that it can drive up prices for housing. The past oil boom in N. Dakota, the tech boom in the Bay Area, or the earlier tech boom in Seattle are some examples. When places don't plan for the newcomers, make new construction difficult, or just don't have enough buildable land, economic growth can make life miserable for long-term residents.
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Old 01-13-2017, 09:25 PM
 
14 posts, read 13,847 times
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I am from Charlotte NC and sudden growth, for a prolonged period is great. My city now has light rail, skyscrapers, pro teams, big city amenities, opportunity and diversity etc but there are drawbacks.

1. In my city we never had gangs, but sense the influx starting in the 90s now we have them. They are large, powerful, control neighborhoods, are violent and almost all have NY, Chicago, or LA origins.

2. Everything has doubled in price, for us from here it is hard to survive. The entire system itself caters to people from out of state and we are left behind and neglected. In our own city where we have roots we cannot settle down roots, we are always being priced out, relocated, etc. gentrification has not just hit the hood hard, white or black if you are from here and did not own property it has effected your life, negatively. My neighborhood I grew up in, we had a community, a bond, and culture when I was growing up, now we have all been pushed to various areas on the outskirts of town and are struggling to survive. Our neighbors are no longer our family they are strangers in a strange place we don't know who are not like us.

3. Loss of culture. When I was growing up in Charlotte it was very southern. When a new family would move into the neighborhood all the women would get together and make a months worth of southern food and cakes and come to there front door, a different woman from a different family every day the first few weeks they were there, and tell them we love you and we live at such and such house you are family, here's a pot of chilli, or batch of cornbread, etc. On my street all the grandmothers were my grandmother, etc. It was a Big family that loved and looked out for each other, now we have been forcefully relocated from that family, and are strangers and cold to each other. Our culture is gone. We don't know all our neighbors living rooms as well as our own anymore. The young girls don't double Dutch while the boys shoot hoops on the cul de sac anymore , while the men BBQ drink beer and debate politics, while the women gossip in the shade drinking sweet tea anymore. We are all cold strangers who give each other cold stares. We used to be family, we are not family. It hurts. Our children are joining criminal gangs to feel what our southern Christian neighborhood used to provide in a positive way before we were forced from there, and relocated into crapholes in the middle of nowhere.

Rapid expansion has positives. I love NE cuisine and culture and the people, but when it's too rapid it destroys beautiful things you can't buy. I will miss and mourn my neighborhoods culture and community forever, till the day I die it will hurt. My only focus now is moving to a less popular southern city to transplants and hoping my children can grow up how I did,I love the QC but I don't love it for the same reasons I loved it growing up there, I love it for much more superficial reasons.

Last edited by NorthCAC; 01-13-2017 at 10:03 PM..
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Old 01-14-2017, 07:05 AM
 
Location: Florida
2,232 posts, read 2,107,071 times
Reputation: 1910
I only know rapid growth (Florida born and raised), but yeah, I really do like the growth. Up north all the infrastructure is old and looks like it is falling down. I like how I can go out to my favorite bars and clubs and always meet new people because they moved here from so-and-so.

I just wish they still built enough houses and apartments for everyone to live in. They used to do a lot more construction in Florida. It is a trickle these days compared to prior decades. Now it is getting very expensive to live here just because of lack of supply. I would imagine places without a lot of population growth don't have that problem.
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Old 01-14-2017, 07:25 AM
 
Location: On the Chesapeake
45,071 posts, read 60,132,206 times
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If a locality ignores or doesn't recognize what's happening it can get in the swamp fairly quickly.

I'll use Calvert County, Maryland as an example.

Starting in the late 1980s and continuing into the early 2000s the County was the fastest growing jurisdiction, or one of the fastest, in the entire US.

The population in 1980 was around 27K, which it had been for generations, and is now around 90K.

The growth kicked off as a result of White Flight from a neighboring County and the lower cost of living

For about the first ten years the people in power didn't recognize what was going on, although there was a new school opened for 19 of the 20 years from 1985 to 2005. The standard response early on was that the people who were moving and buying the for the area expensive houses had to be empty nesters because people with kids couldn't afford the houses.

They totally missed, or ignored, the financial demographics of the incomers. But they also couldn't answer why there had to be so many new schools opening.

Then the people who were selling off the former farms which then grew houses started to complain about the growth and the costs associated with it. They couldn't make the connection between their actions, selling farms which had been in the same family for centuries, and the high dollar housing being built, the school costs, the massive traffic problems, the increase in crime as well as all the other results of a higher population

One specific subdivision, a private vacation community, went from about 300 year round people to 18000 today. All on properties mostly on private wells and septic systems with the problems associated with overloaded usage.

Where I am went from having around 300 houses occupied year round to over 1000, essential 100%. Which meant we had to build a sewer treatment plant with expanded capacity and install central water (which was more or less mandated by the State).

All at greatly increased cost.
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Old 01-20-2017, 10:43 PM
Status: "Save the people of Gaza" (set 21 days ago)
 
Location: St. Louis Park, MN
7,726 posts, read 6,397,819 times
Reputation: 10387
The problem with rapid and sudden growth is in the case where the growth is mainly the result of a trend and where the economy solely revolves around a certain area. This was the issue in the old west times with boom towns that eventually became ghost towns when resources were used up, or with old Appalachian mining communities. However in the 21st century, towns and areas have the capacity to diversify their economy and its not as big an issue.

Other problems is when the growth of population outpaces the growth of resources, living space and or infrastructure. The town I live in has experienced a whopping population boom since the 2000s which is great, but the roads have been slow to keep up so we're chock full of construction.

Other negatives are that crime may increase (something I've seen happen in my community since moving here. So many neighbours have told me "It didn't use to be this bad,") but sadly with rapid population growth, you also get more riff raff coming in. Traffic will get worse of course especially if the city TAKES FOREVER TO IMPROVE ROADS AND TRAFFIC LIGHTS! D=< Sorry.. got a little heated! Hehe.

Then there's also loss of original character/culture. One problem is more people will cause more generic chains that might pop up, displacing local businesses that long time locals have enjoyed and added charm to an area. Obviously an increase of pollution (unless its a city that is notorious for being eco friendly and attracts eco friendly transplants like Portland).

Perhaps the most pressing issue is for the desert Southwest which has been booming, is that it is facing the dilemma of water shortages and drought. Then there's the fact cost of living will go up and if the population increases too fast, so will the costs and there's the issue of gentrification. Overall though, a steady and sustainable population boom that does not sharply increase crime, is a good thing especially as it means more potential job growth for a community. It just comes at some potential risks and consequences.
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Old 01-21-2017, 12:37 AM
 
Location: Texas
1,982 posts, read 2,076,628 times
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Denton, as well as most of the DFW area, isn't experiencing "sudden economic/population growth." Denton has been experiencing this level of growth, more or less, since the 50's. In fact, growth in the DFW area has been decreasing since the 90s. Dallas-Fort Worth is the story of fast and steady, not small bursts of growth.
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