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Location: Watching half my country turn into Gilead
3,530 posts, read 4,171,933 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by VintageSunlight
I've noticed a lot lately how smaller states seem to struggle to keep up with infrastructure, seem to lose population, and are generally stagnant. States that come to mind are NJ, CT, and RI. While states like TX, CO, NC, GA, MN and even CA seem to be attracting residents and are less stagnant.
When I think of NJ, there really isn't anyplace left to build. Building something new requires more open space to be destroyed. Building in older areas requires lengthy processes to clean up, redevelop, eminent domain issues, and other legacy issues. Also, we have no room to expand highways- they're usually too close to built-up areas. Highways here like the Garden State Parkway are only 3 lanes through extremely congested areas and can't expand to 4 or 5 lanes. I travel through RI and CT and its similar.
When I go to larger states, I see large, sweeping off ramps, built in a space that would take up a whole NJ town. Typically, I see that they are built in one year or less- very quick for what I'm used to which seems to take a decade. When I was recently in Sacramento, for example, the city of Folsom (or was it Roseville? doesn't matter) just simply annexed large swaths of land for 25,000 house projects. Same thing in NC when I was there. Here, a 60 unit housing complex is large, VERY controversial (open space issues, clearing what might possible be the last forested area in a town, traffic studies, etc).
Does it make sense to move to a larger state that has flexibility to grow? I predict they will be better off in the future. Curious what others think. Please lets be civil I just am curious about what people think, not looking to insult the small state dwellers!
There is no correlation between a state's size and any of the above. Delaware leads the Northeast in population growth, leads the US in internet speeds and is far from stagnant, with the success of new events like Firefly and the opening of the Biden Institute. Flexibility to grow has nothing to do with size and everything to do with civic policy.
If Texas had taxes like New Jersey, it wouldn't be growing like it is. New Jersey has plenty of places left to build (especially South Jersey), but the political will isn't there, along with a ton of factors. And ironically, a lot of the places that are growing in the Northeast are exactly the places where there is "nowhere left to build", due to the millennial shift from the suburbs to the city.
I agree very much that civic policy matters, and its an important factor overall. I am wondering though, and seem to be witnessing, growth in states that do not seem to have any physical barriers. Austin, Dallas, Raleigh, Sacramento, and even Denver to a certain extent, can grow with no bounds. If you need more land, you just annex it. This is not possible in NJ. Even trying to get I-95 built turned out to be impossible in NJ (a part of I-95 is missing in NJ).
Delaware seems to be an anomaly. Its a tax free haven very close to 4 major metro areas. Almost everyone who moves there is a retiree and they want to be close to their kids in the 4 major metros. Schools and jobs are not a concern for most who move there.
I agree very much that civic policy matters, and its an important factor overall. I am wondering though, and seem to be witnessing, growth in states that do not seem to have any physical barriers. Austin, Dallas, Raleigh, Sacramento, and even Denver to a certain extent, can grow with no bounds. If you need more land, you just annex it. This is not possible in NJ. Even trying to get I-95 built turned out to be impossible in NJ (a part of I-95 is missing in NJ).
Delaware seems to be an anomaly. Its a tax free haven very close to 4 major metro areas. Almost everyone who moves there is a retiree and they want to be close to their kids in the 4 major metros. Schools and jobs are not a concern for most who move there.
Interesting discussion though!
Dallas isn't exactly amending anything. It is mostly blocked in by suburbs.
Since 2010, Massachusetts has added more people in raw numbers than every single state in the Midwest on an individual basis. So no, I don't think size has anything to do with it.
What makes certain cities and thereby certain states popular has far more to do with economics, jobs, and to a lesser extent weather and politics.
I mention politics not so much as people leaving or moving in being one party or the other as much as a state government having its **** together. Here in Illinois, we haven't had a budget for coming up on 2 years now. I don't recommend it.
I hate to say it, because I grew up in New England, but there's been a lot of studies now which have found that municipal fragmentation hampers economic growth - not just in the U.S., but globally. The Sun-Belt model of a core city with only a few (or better yet no) incorporated suburbs is better than the Northeastern model of dozens to hundreds of different incorporated fiefdoms, all with control over their own local zoning.
FWIW, some small states are doing quite well. Delaware is the only Northeastern state which is seeing population growth due to domestic migration, with a lot of transplants moving to the central/southern part of the state. Perhaps not coincidentally, Delaware has a "Sun Belt" style of local government, with most land area taken up by unincorporated suburbs or rural land, rather than cities and towns.
I hate to say it, because I grew up in New England, but there's been a lot of studies now which have found that municipal fragmentation hampers economic growth - not just in the U.S., but globally. The Sun-Belt model of a core city with only a few (or better yet no) incorporated suburbs is better than the Northeastern model of dozens to hundreds of different incorporated fiefdoms, all with control over their own local zoning.
FWIW, some small states are doing quite well. Delaware is the only Northeastern state which is seeing population growth due to domestic migration, with a lot of transplants moving to the central/southern part of the state. Perhaps not coincidentally, Delaware has a "Sun Belt" style of local government, with most land area taken up by unincorporated suburbs or rural land, rather than cities and towns.
Cities of all sizes are broken up into zoning districts which prevent the same type of density/uses from existing throughout their municipal boundaries.
Cities of all sizes are broken up into zoning districts which prevent the same type of density/uses from existing throughout their municipal boundaries.
This is true. But generally speaking, it's easier to build out areas which aren't fractured into tons of different municipalities.
As an example, consider a hypothetical rural town in New England. The area becomes part of the exurban fringe. The local residents have democratic control over the zoning process. They do not want the town to lose its "rural character," hence they set up very high minimum lot sizes (quarter, half, even perhaps a full acre).
In contrast, consider an exurban fringe in a southern metro. The local farmers living in the zone have no control over zoning, which is either handled by the city (if the area has been annexed already) or the county. Thus the existing residents do not have pull to make sure that new development is low intensity. Instead of single-family houses on big lots, you end up with dense single family - perhaps even townhouses.
The geographic size of a state doesn't matter. California is huge and has a dynamic robust economy. Rhode Island is small and doesn't.
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