Northeast Population Growth is Lagging (Boston, Marshfield: home, college, quality of life)

[baystater]

New Census Data Shows Northeast Population Growth is Lagging - US News and World Report

OK Massachusetts was not specifically mentioned in this article.
But are find your town getting smaller population wise? I really don't find that in my home town (Marshfield) when I visit. But it's in eastern MA. And things could be very different in western MA.

[Bluefly]

Perhaps the more important question to ask is why we believe we need to constantly be expanding to thrive. It was only a few years ago that the Dow Jones crossed 10,000. Now we freak out when it drops down to 12,000.

Just amazed at the primitive nature of our society masked as sophistication.

[MovingForward]

Lagging population growth is what we should be hoping for. The U.S. passed sustainable population levels 30 years ago. We need to restructure our economic system in order to support sustainability. It's the only long-term viable option.

[mdovell]

Originally Posted by baystater

New Census Data Shows Northeast Population Growth is Lagging - US News and World Report

OK Massachusetts was not specifically mentioned in this article.
But are find your town getting smaller population wise? I really don't find that in my home town (Marshfield) when I visit. But it's in eastern MA. And things could be very different in western MA.

I'm pretty close to that town...however with population it's mostly people moving into south eastern mass out of other parts of the state.

So as a part of the state it's developing but it's taking other people from other parts of the state.

We need a higher population growth or else we'd have some sortages to the economy. When the baby boomers pass on we'd end up with generations far more spread out and less numerous.

[MovingForward]

A higher population growth will result, long term, in a collapse of the economy, once the resources and ecosystems become depleted to the point of no return. We have to think long term, not just for the foreseeable future. The land simply cannot sustain a higher level of population. That's a fact. Our economic structure needs to be reworked to reflect environmental reality.

[smarty]

MovingForward... you're right... I cannot afford to pay for kids college tuition... I shouldn't have follow the Catholic rules... I think the pope should change the view on using protection.

I've been brain washed... before I get married... they keep asking when I will get married... after I get married... they keep asking when I will have a baby... after my first... they say my child needs a playmate... after the 2nd one... they say why stop there... go create a football team.

It is a conspiracy theory... that people with kids just want those without suffer as they do... so they create these wonderful stories about how kids will make you happy... Any parent want to chime in on this one?

Oh.... getting back to the original point.. people move to where there are jobs and lower housing/high quality of life places...

[LeavingMA]

Originally Posted by baystater

New Census Data Shows Northeast Population Growth is Lagging - US News and World Report

OK Massachusetts was not specifically mentioned in this article.
But are find your town getting smaller population wise? I really don't find that in my home town (Marshfield) when I visit. But it's in eastern MA. And things could be very different in western MA.

This is nothing new, it has been happening over the last 10-20 years. If you factor out illegal immigrants many parts of the northeast are losing lots of people. I think NH has actually grown though.

I know the city I live in has had basically about the same population for the last 20 years or so.

[miu]

I'd really love it if the population would drop around the metro Boston area. There are just too many cars on the road. Most busy roads could use at least one extra lane. I hardly ever drive into Boston because of the traffic and lack of parking spaces. I suppose that one day I will move north.

[professorsenator]

Originally Posted by MovingForward

The land simply cannot sustain a higher level of population.

Complete and utter nonsense! Pessimists have been peddling this baloney for eons. The U.S. remains significantly underpopulated compared to Western Europe and much of the world. We produce a staggering surplus of food each year and technology continues to allow us to grow more food, more efficiently each year.

This being a free nation the sky-is-falling folks are free to hole up in their dark, electricity-free caves, and wait childlessly for the end times. Fortunately, the naysayers are small in number and greatly outnumbered by a reasonable majority.

The negative consequence of flat population growth in the northeast is that the centers of economic growth and development (and thus new jobs) are moving elsewhere. This means that middle class families will find it harder to live in the northeast because the engines of opportunity will increasingly be in other places. Politically speaking, it means the northeast will have declining influence while the sun belt will grow in political clout. We see this in shifts in the electoral college map, where states like NY and PA are losing influence while AZ and TX are gaining.

[smarty]

Originally Posted by LeavingMA

This is nothing new, it has been happening over the last 10-20 years. If you factor out illegal immigrants many parts of the northeast are losing lots of people.

Wow... The only thing I saw is MA population has more foreign born... but lots of illegal immigrants? where do you get that statistics? I thought most are here legally. My understanding is Senator Kennedy worked really hard getting immigrant to MA legally.