Which kentucky city is declining the quickest (Owensboro, Covington: apartment, condos)

[sandman1]

What city or cities in kentucky are declining the most. Owensboro comes to mind for me...compared to Bowling green they haven't kept pace. Things seem stagnant. To me the E is a perfect reflection of that town. At one time a progressive city that was growing now is old, worn out and second rate. There are plenty of other places in the state that could use a boost but owensboro is relatively large and for its size it certainly isn't doing itself any favors in attracting new buisness when the town keeps voting down new developments.

[tomocox]

I would suppose that Ashland would be most likely with the declining coal and steel based industries. Owensboro has and will always be an island. Nothing coming much, nothing going much.

[kentuckydad95]

This is an easy question to answer. Paducah is losing people left and right. Maybe it is due to their taxes out the wazoo or the fact that the city government has their hands in so many projects that people are finally waking up to the fact that their tax dollars are funding the pork. They want to build an outdoor ice skating rink...TAX DOLLARS. They want to build a whole new riverfront including underground parking...TAX DOLLARS. They are also involved now in the hotel business. Ask anyone around here about the Executive Inn fiasco. TAX DOLLARS out the arse on that project. Paducah will be a wonderful place to visit...but few will live there.

[censusdata]

Daviess County has been adding population continuously, albeit at a modest pace. It also has a high

I'd have to vote for Ashland as the fastest declining city.

Median Household Income Ranking
For comparison:
15. Jefferson $42,239
19 . Fayette $41,602

Cities we're talking about...
23. Daviess $40,020
29. Warren $38,631
38. McCracken $36,519
50. Boyd $35,041

[The Village Idiot]

When I saw this thread, I thought, "I wonder how quickly Ashland will be mentioned?"

It's true that Ashland and Boyd County are declining in population. Ashland's population has decreased by 1.9% from 2000-2006, while Boyd County's has decreased by 2.6% from 2000-2007. However, looking at the bigger picture, this is actually an improvement over previous decades. Ashland's population decreased by 12.7% in the 1980s and 6.9% in the 1990s. Boyd County's population decreased by 7.9% in the 1980s and 2.7% in the 1990s. Compared to the 1980s, the 2000s don't look so bad.

At the same time, nearby counties have been increasing in population since 2000:
Boyd: -2.6%
Carter: +2.0%
Greenup: +1.0%
Lawrence: +4.8% (this one surprised me a little, because I didn't expect it to be that high)

It's apparent that people are increasingly choosing to live outside of Boyd County (and especially Ashland), even if they work in Ashland. However, they're still coming to Ashland for things like shopping, restaurants, and medical care. I can walk through the mall parking lot on a Friday night, and at least half the cars will be from either Greenup, Carter, or Lawrence Counties, or from Ohio.

As services like sewers and city water have been expanded over the years, there has been less incentive for people to live in Ashland. For example, I live in Boyd County, but outside the Ashland city limits. My house is connected to the sewer and has city water. I can be anywhere in Ashland in less than 10 minutes. Ashland isn't completely run down and falling apart, but why in the world would I want to live inside the city limits when I can get the same house on a bigger lot for less money in the county?

I think the above paragraph explains a lot of why Ashland's population is decreasing. The local economy leaves a lot to be desired, but it really could be a lot worse. Obviously, the oil refinery in Catlettsburg is not exactly struggling. The steel industry overall has had some difficulties competing with imports, but the situation at the mill in Ashland is actually improving. AK Steel had record revenue and shipments in 2007. A subsidiary of Toyota is going to build a plant across the river in Ohio to manufacture tractor trailer parts (I can't remember exactly what they build), and I think CSX in Huntington, WV is preparing to expand as well. Since the whole tri-state area is sort of tied together, this should help Ashland a little, too.

I write all this because, although Ashland's population continues to decline (though at a slower pace), I live in the area and can honestly say that it doesn't feel like it's declining. I know this is a subjective statement, but I look around and see new restaurants and stores being built, the hospital expanding, and plans for a riverfront park funded by a grant from the federal government, and I almost feel slightly optimistic. Of course, with the state of the nation's economy, who knows what will happen?

The bottom line is that the situation is both good and bad. Would I say that Ashland is the fastest declining city in the state? I guess it depends on your perspective. I probably would have argued that it was one of the fastest declining cities in the 80s and 90s, because it could really be classified as a rust belt city like Pittsburgh. Now, I'm not sure whether it is. I think Ashland is ranked 336th out of 420 Kentucky cities of all sizes in terms of population growth since 2000. There are faster shrinking cities, but most of them are much smaller than Ashland. For comparison, Covington was 328th on that list and Newport was 408th. Surprisingly, Pippa Passes was ranked #1, with a 33.7% increase. Of course, that only required an increase of 151 people. I think Alice Lloyd College must have expanded.

By the way, all the data I've cited is from the Kentucky State Data Center, but I think they get their numbers from the U.S. Census.

Sorry for the long post, but this is a complex subject.

[raingirl]

what about Hazel Green k.y Is it very small?

[InLondon]

Originally Posted by raingirl

what about Hazel Green k.y Is it very small?

In Wolfe County? Yes it's very very small, under 1,000 people.

[missymomof3]

Originally Posted by raingirl

what about Hazel Green k.y Is it very small?

Hazel Green is where my church goes to help out. I haven't been but would like to. What's it like?

[BLS2753]

Originally Posted by kentuckydad95

This is an easy question to answer. Paducah is losing people left and right. Maybe it is due to their taxes out the wazoo or the fact that the city government has their hands in so many projects that people are finally waking up to the fact that their tax dollars are funding the pork. They want to build an outdoor ice skating rink...TAX DOLLARS. They want to build a whole new riverfront including underground parking...TAX DOLLARS. They are also involved now in the hotel business. Ask anyone around here about the Executive Inn fiasco. TAX DOLLARS out the arse on that project. Paducah will be a wonderful place to visit...but few will live there.

What's the deal with those "loft" condos they're making out of those old buildings downtown? I saw one the other day with a "starting at $300,000" banner hung on the side. Who in their right mind in this area is going to spend that kind of money for an "apartment" in downtown Paducah. There's not even any grocery stores anywhere close.

Sounds like the locals are trying to immulate the "big cities" a little too much, without really thinking this through very well.

[kentuckydad95]

Originally Posted by BLS2753

What's the deal with those "loft" condos they're making out of those old buildings downtown? I saw one the other day with a "starting at $300,000" banner hung on the side. Who in their right mind in this area is going to spend that kind of money for an "apartment" in downtown Paducah. There's not even any grocery stores anywhere close.

Sounds like the locals are trying to immulate the "big cities" a little too much, without really thinking this through very well.

Oh there are plenty of grocery stores around. Just be sure you are packing a Beretta when you go. The leaders in Paducah think their town is the s--t, when it is one of the fastest declining cities (population-wise) in the Jackson Purchase.

A few months (or a year or so) ago, I could have swore that the Paducah Sun ran an article about some developer wanting to build high-rise condos on the riverfront. I thought it was a great idea if you like going broke. Paducah is in ALOT of trouble, the citizens (that are left) know it, the business owners know it, yet the city council and delusional mayor are clueless. No wonder they are clinging on to the quilt show. It is almost all they have left.