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1. Not sure how you got "Sunbelt Bashing" out of that video. Mr. Carter was just comparing the economic merits of older, post-industrial regions v. post-WWII high-growth regions in the South and West. Contrary to popular wisdom, some economic metrics do not necessarily reflect well (generally speaking) on the Sun Belt (i.e., per capita income growth). There's nothing malicious about pointing that out -- it just happens to be a fact.
2. I'm not going to comment on a highly subjective characteristic as to which is "better," but plenty of people move to Pittsburgh. The primary reason for population loss in the city is due to natural decrease. It is pretty clear that will level off very soon.
The Pittsburgh area, the entire metro, has been declining in population for 40 years. Yes, people move in, but more move out. There have been many maps posted here on CD about that, too.
There are a bunch of boosters on that forum who are always talking about how Pgh is soon to start growing again. As soon as the 2010 population numbers came out, one of them said, "wait until 2020"! It's always going to happen; it never happens.
The Pittsburgh area, the entire metro, has been declining in population for 40 years. Yes, people move in, but more move out.
"More move out" my ass.
That graph seems to dovetail nicely with the right side of this graph:
Quote:
Originally Posted by Katiana
There are a bunch of boosters on that forum who are always talking about how Pgh is soon to start growing again. As soon as the 2010 population numbers came out, one of them said, "wait until 2020"! It's always going to happen; it never happens.
2009 was the first year there was a tiny positive domestic migration since 1970. There has been positive international migration since 1991, but it hasn't offset the ongoing population loss.
Unfortunately, Metro Pittsburgh air pollution is also now ranked as the 3rd worst in the USA by the American Lung Association (although its air quality is greatly improved, being even worse in prior years).
I clicked on my home county and saw a huge blob of red. Relatively economically healthy there, though. There's a net migration towards Allegheny County, PA from my home county (Suffolk, NY).
Looks like most of the Northeast (except for a few big cities and especially the DC metro) prefers to move into Allegheny County while Allegheny County sends its people to other regions of the country (esp Florida and the west).
There are a bunch of boosters on that forum who are always talking about how Pgh is soon to start growing again. As soon as the 2010 population numbers came out, one of them said, "wait until 2020"! It's always going to happen; it never happens.
People said that about Philadelphia, too, and this past census it saw its population grow for the first time in 60 years. If Philly can do it, Pittsburgh certainly can. Of course, Philly definitely benefits from much higher immigration and many people relocating from adjacent, highly-populated metro areas (i.e., New York and DC).
However, Pittsburgh has clearly gone through a renaissance that has made it one of the most diverse economies in the country, and there is definitely something to say about how its rate of decline has slowed significantly. It has not leveled off as quickly as many have liked, but it really is bound to reach its population low very soon; this will likely be followed by slow, sustained growth, much like Philadelphia.
Notice how the dehubbing of PIT by US Airways and the housing bubble in much of the rest of the United States distorted the 2003-2006 time period, creating a temporary lull in what has been a pretty linear positive trend in migration between 2000 and 2011?
2009 was the first year there was a tiny positive domestic migration since 1970. There has been positive international migration since 1991, but it hasn't offset the ongoing population loss.
I said this before also. When the steel industry went down in the 70s and 80s, many left the Pittsburgh area to find work elsewhere.
Um the census data showed 3,500 more people moved into Allegheny county than moved out from april 2010 to june 2011 so YOU'RE WRONG.
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