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I'm sure PA is doing well because Philly is managing to attract A LOT of people from the Northeast. Jobs are paying similar salaries to NYC and DC, but the COL is much lower. There is tons of construction around the city. The migration from NYC to Philly is real. Central Southeast PA was a major destination zone for Puerto Rican refugees, especially in Lancaster/York area.
People moving to the West are generally not moving to the "wide open spaces." Often they're moving to the urban cores, particularly in my area. More generally in the West, sprawl tends to be of the relatively dense kind.
Yes, this. They are not moving to Podunkville. They are moving to Boise, Salt Lake City, Las Vegas and Seattle.
I'm sure PA is doing well because Philly is managing to attract A LOT of people from the Northeast. Jobs are paying similar salaries to NYC and DC, but the COL is much lower. There is tons of construction around the city. The migration from NYC to Philly is real. Central Southeast PA was a major destination zone for Puerto Rican refugees, especially in Lancaster/York area.
I really hope construction in Philly keeps pace with its growth. I REALLY don't want it to spiral out-of-control and drive people out. Luckily, I think Philly is extremely conscious of this, and the Philadelphia 2035 program pushes for affordable housing.
The Northeast is still overwhemingly slow or stagnant in terms of growth; even "booming" areas like Boston are still very much in the "slow growth" range compared to the major urban areas of the South and West.
I don't find this to be a negative attribute, though. The aspect that many folks overlook when considering slower-growth or relatively stagnant areas is more established, well-planned areas and economies that are very productive and provide a high standard-of-living. The Northeastern US is arguably the Western Europe of America in terms of demographic/socioeconomic trends.
FWIW, nothing about southern New England is "well-planned." Throughout the region, a majority of the roads are paved cow-paths.
Additionally, the quality of life in Central and Southeastern Massachusetts as well as neighboring Rhode Island and eastern Connecticut is very low due to a post-manufacturing economy.
FWIW, nothing about southern New England is "well-planned." Throughout the region, a majority of the roads are paved cow-paths.
Additionally, the quality of life in Central and Southeastern Massachusetts as well as neighboring Rhode Island and eastern Connecticut is very low due to a post-manufacturing economy.
What would you say is the more well planned part of the country then? Most of the sunbelt cities suffer from urban sprawl which is a city planner's worst nightmare.
South Carolina’s growth is crazy. A lot of people are choosing SC after FL to retire. Plus SC is closer to the NE if retirees went to travel back up north.
But PA lost 5th a few decades ago, so I don’t think it’s much of a triumph. My guess is that, within error, IL and PA will be effectively the same population during the 2020 census.
I think it is clear that PA population is higher than Illinois at this point, and the gap looks to widen in the coming years. The state of PA is healthier overall, and with the election upon us, PA might actually have better representation due to its redistricting.
Quote:
Originally Posted by jas75
GA and NC will probably overtake both IL and PA in a few decades. The four largest states should remain CA-TX-FL-NY, in that order, for a very long time.
Impossible to make a claim like that. This country might not exist in a few decades. Population is a trend which can do up or down fast or slow, GA and NC aren't immune to trends.
Impossible to make a claim like that. This country might not exist in a few decades. Population is a trend which can do up or down fast or slow, GA and NC aren't immune to trends.
Migration patterns can fluctuate, but births and deaths in each state for years to come are rather predictable based on the age distribution. The 4 largest states are several million ahead of 5th place and below in population, so it's going to be a long time until these rankings change.
Georgia and North Carolina are not immune to trends, but both states offer what millions of Americans are looking for to live in at a reasonable price, and have plenty of room for further growth. Sure, some people prefer cooler climates, more thoroughly urban environments and a different cultural mix than what the South features - but they are just one subset of Americans. They are only a couple million residents behind very slow growing Pennsylvania and declining Illinois at this time anyway.
Impossible to make a claim like that. This country might not exist in a few decades. Population is a trend which can do up or down fast or slow, GA and NC aren't immune to trends.
I think that we have to pay attention to longer term trends when prognosticating what may or many not happen in the future. When we do this, it's obvious that both NC and GA have sustained upward trajectories for decades. That said, before talking about them passing PA and IL, Ohio is the next state that stands in their way. Using long term trends as a predictor, both NC and GA could pass Ohio sometime in the 2030s. Passing PA and IL is likely another decade out from then or more.
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