U.S. Census reduces Pittsburgh region's latest population estimate (move, paid)

[rickms]

Agreed. It's conflating. It's also a straw man or at "best" information being filtered through a bias where one reads a comment about the positive nature of say, Google jobs and how that is good the city and then reads it as "Google is coming and the boom is right behind it!"

[eschaton]

IIRC from the late 2000s, most of the speculation about population growth returning was because the Great Recession was much, much weaker here, and the recovery quicker, which led some to believe we returned to growth. We probably did, but the growth in the late 2000s wasn't enough to make up for the steep decline in the early 2000s.

[Katarina Witt]

Originally Posted by Mtl-Cns

The problem is you're conflating people on city data getting excited because a company is opening an office in Pittsburgh to tap into a great resource (CMU) with people on city data claiming that Google is going to bring back all the jobs lost through the collapse of steel. The only thing that Google has to do with population/workforce is retaining CMU grads to work and live in the city.

Never said that.

With Yac's forbearance, one (1) post from those glory days 10 years ago:

Originally Posted by Geeo

This confirms what the demographers have been saying: we're reaching the tipping point where the young people exodus of 25 years ago caused a decline in the birthrate. As more young people arrive to fill the jobs of people who are older, the birth rate will increase, and population increase should follow. That's a pretty simple explanation, but that's as far as my knowledge goes. I'm sure someone else on this board has better details.

None of that has happened. The birthrate, nationwide, has decreased. Pennsylvania's birthrate is in the lower 20%.
Birth rates keep falling for U.S. women
https://247wallst.com/special-report...most-babies/2/

[Mtl-Cns]

Originally Posted by Katarina Witt

Never said that.

With Yac's forbearance, one (1) post from those glory days 10 years ago:



None of that has happened. The birthrate, nationwide, has decreased. Pennsylvania's birthrate is in the lower 20%.
Birth rates keep falling for U.S. women
https://247wallst.com/special-report...most-babies/2/

I know you didn't say that; I would've quoted it. I was drawing extremes in the same way I feel you are.

You shared someone's opinion of which I'm sure there are many and I can't speak for that poster but I doubt they, or anyone sensible, believe that a single company moving here (Google) would reverse decades of hardship on the city. That's all I'm trying to say. It's OK to have been excited that a company opened an office here promising to, in some small part, reverse the mass exodous of college graduates by tapping in to our universities. I do not see what Google has to do with the population of Pittsburgh at all except for a very very slight change documented in age demographics.

[Katarina Witt]

Originally Posted by Mtl-Cns

I know you didn't say that; I would've quoted it. I was drawing extremes in the same way I feel you are.

You shared someone's opinion of which I'm sure there are many and I can't speak for that poster but I doubt they, or anyone sensible, believe that a single company moving here (Google) would reverse decades of hardship on the city. That's all I'm trying to say. It's OK to have been excited that a company opened an office here promising to, in some small part, reverse the mass exodous of college graduates by tapping in to our universities. I do not see what Google has to do with the population of Pittsburgh at all except for a very very slight change documented in age demographics.

I don't think anyone said that. However, there were some very unrealistic expectations about what Google opening an office in Pittsburgh portended for the city.

[Mtl-Cns]

Originally Posted by Katarina Witt

I don't think anyone said that. However, there were some very unrealistic expectations about what Google opening an office in Pittsburgh portended for the city.

And that's fine as your opinion as someone who reads, analyzes, and quotes a very specific message board. I'm saying that in general I didn't see that or notice that at all, even in local media. The most I noticed was a positive spin about retaining younger talent that usually is bled out because previously there were very few outlets for it.

FWIW I'm sure I could also find some unrealistic opinions if I were to ask around that would insist that the population is about to tank because the rapture approacheth. We can pick and choose all we want but it doesn't mean it's a valid or even a mainstream opinion.

[Katarina Witt]

Originally Posted by Mtl-Cns

And that's fine as your opinion as someone who reads, analyzes, and quotes a very specific message board. I'm saying that in general I didn't see that or notice that at all, even in local media. The most I noticed was a positive spin about retaining younger talent that usually is bled out because previously there were very few outlets for it.

FWIW I'm sure I could also find some unrealistic opinions if I were to ask around that would insist that the population is about to tank because the rapture approacheth. We can pick and choose all we want but it doesn't mean it's a valid or even a mainstream opinion.

How clever! There have been predictions on this board, from people who live in Pittsburgh and love to tell those of us who live elsewhere, including the Pittsburgh suburbs, that Pittsburgh is going to turn the corner on population loss any day now. As soon as the 2010 census numbers came out, someone posted "Wait till 2020. It's happening; it just hadn't shown up yet when the census was done". Some day, if I'm confined to bed or something and have nothing else to do, I'll post a quote from every year since I've been on CD (2007).

[PGH423]

Originally Posted by Katarina Witt

How clever! There have been predictions on this board, from people who live in Pittsburgh and love to tell those of us who live elsewhere, including the Pittsburgh suburbs, that Pittsburgh is going to turn the corner on population loss any day now. As soon as the 2010 census numbers came out, someone posted "Wait till 2020. It's happening; it just hadn't shown up yet when the census was done". Some day, if I'm confined to bed or something and have nothing else to do, I'll post a quote from every year since I've been on CD (2007).

Why? Is anyone denying that every year some people make bad population predictions?

[rickms]

There were not unrealistic expectations. The same excitement existed that it would have for most cities including cities with consistent population increases. Again, to say that the city was stating that Google itself was changing things over night is ridiculous and a straw man.

[Mtl-Cns]

Originally Posted by Katarina Witt

How clever! There have been predictions on this board, from people who live in Pittsburgh and love to tell those of us who live elsewhere, including the Pittsburgh suburbs, that Pittsburgh is going to turn the corner on population loss any day now. As soon as the 2010 census numbers came out, someone posted "Wait till 2020. It's happening; it just hadn't shown up yet when the census was done". Some day, if I'm confined to bed or something and have nothing else to do, I'll post a quote from every year since I've been on CD (2007).

In all seriousness, why is this such a big deal for you? Every time the P-word comes up on this board you're drawn to it like a fly to a turd, which is exactly what this conversation is. Who really cares what bad predictions random people on an internet message board make?

Anyway for your future enjoyment, here's a prediction for your quoting pleasure during your future bedrest: By the 2030 census, Pittsburgh has been overtaken by a killer virus strain developed by mistake in a UPMC research lab. Because of a combination of disease and Google's lack of job creation here, a mass exodus occurs and everyone moves to Colorado to escape for the clean mountain air and delicious weed edibles. The population of Pittsburgh will have plummeted to a mere 1,500 yinzers who refuse to move. Yet, despite the desolate emptiness of the city, at least a quarter of the 1,500 still reserve their parking spot directly in front of their houses with a stolen traffic cone.