2014 Pittsburgh MSA population estimates: More bad news than good (job market, transfer)

[pman]

Originally Posted by speagles84

I just don't understand why Westmoreland is so negative. It shouldn't be loosing population like Fayette is. Hempfield murrsyville Penn township are all growing areas and it doesn't seem like there's enough depressed areas to rule the county.

a natural fit for good commuter rail service since rail trip times are less than drive times from latrobe and greensburg.

[JoeP]

Westmoreland is odd - it doesn't have the legacy of industry or coal that the other counties do, but has by far the largest population in Western PA after Allegheny. The right investment could turn it around, but what?

[Katarina Witt]

For Beaver County, that's actually pretty good, considering some of the losses they've had.

[eschaton]

Originally Posted by speagles84

I just don't understand why Westmoreland is so negative. It shouldn't be loosing population like Fayette is. Hempfield murrsyville Penn township are all growing areas and it doesn't seem like there's enough depressed areas to rule the county.

Check out pages 18-20 of this PDF. Growth is pretty much confined to the Pittsburgh tax flight exurbs and the "suburbs" of Greensburg. And it's not even that great there.

Edit: Also much of the "growing townships" are almost certainly stealing from the declining boroughs. E.G. Upper Burrell and Allegheny Township are almost certainly growing slightly because they're getting migrants from the New Kensington and Vandergrift areas. Pittsburgh exurban growth is basically nothing but Penn Township, Murrysville, North Huntington, Delmont, and Manor.

[I_Like_Spam]

Any growth in population indicates a growth in jobs around here.

The Pittsburgh region has large numbers of seniors, who have a tendency to pass on and are past the child birth years.

The only way the city can gain population is to create employment opportunities that can motivate people from outside the area to move in.

Even though there isn't large growth, its still large enough to counterbalance the natural decrease in population in these parts.

[ferraris]

I'm far more curious about individual neighborhoods, or at least zip codes. But we probably won't have that info in any reliable way until 2020.

[SteelCityRising]

I swear traffic congestion has significantly worsened in/around the East End since I moved here in 2010, so apparently the East End is growing while everywhere else is sharting the bed.

[speagles84]

Originally Posted by SteelCityRising

I swear traffic congestion has significantly worsened in/around the East End since I moved here in 2010, so apparently the East End is growing while everywhere else is sharting the bed.

While the east end is undeniably growing, much more of the metro is as well. These are just estimates. Plus job growth in 2013 wasn't so hot so I'm not entirely shocked. The only real number will come after the 2020 census is taken.

[I_Like_Spam]

Originally Posted by SteelCityRising

I swear traffic congestion has significantly worsened in/around the East End since I moved here in 2010, so apparently the East End is growing while everywhere else is sharting the bed.

The population isn't growing, just the wealth of its inhabitants.

There are no more people in Lawrenceville than there were in 2007 when I moved here, in fact there are probably fewer. But instead of households with 4 to 6 generational welfare cases inhabiting the homes, you'll have 1 or 2 with 2 or 3 cars. Incredibly harder to park here.

When I came here, I could park my car- a 95 Buick- easily any hour of the day or night, and it was the finest car on the block. Now its very difficult to get a parking space most evenings especially on the weekend.

[eschaton]

Originally Posted by I_Like_Spam

The population isn't growing, just the wealth of its inhabitants.

There are no more people in Lawrenceville than there were in 2007 when I moved here, in fact there are probably fewer. But instead of households with 4 to 6 generational welfare cases inhabiting the homes, you'll have 1 or 2 with 2 or 3 cars. Incredibly harder to park here.

When I came here, I could park my car- a 95 Buick- easily any hour of the day or night, and it was the finest car on the block. Now its very difficult to get a parking space most evenings especially on the weekend.

You're probably right...for now. There are less abandoned/empty houses in Lawrenceville, but also probably slightly less residents per household, so it evens out.

Still, the first major new residential projects are in the works for down by the river. As with the South Side, this should be enough to start real population growth in the neighborhood again.