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Do you mean the largest city to lose population or the city with the largest population decrease? Either way, I don't think it's Flint. It's population dropped nearly 5% to under 100,000 which is bad but not the worst. That award goes to Detroit which has lost nearly 50,000 people and an overall lose of just over 5%. Detroit is being hollowed out and urban farms are taking over certain neighborhoods. The issue is trying to convince people to buy homes there. I don't think you'll find buyers interested in buying a home in a neighborhood filled with boarded up vacant properties left and right. Some neighborhoods are decent but not in many parts of the city. You can find a nicer home in the suburbs and that's what people would rather look for.
Actually, there are some very nice neighborhoods still within Detroit city limits like Sherwood Forest, Palmer Woods, the University District, Rosedale Park, Indian Village, etc.
Another possibility is the space coast in Florida but I think they have begun to recover as well. I Haven't paid too much attention but when NASA first ceased operations it lost something like half its population nearly overnight.
Do you mean the largest city to lose population or the city with the largest population decrease? Either way, I don't think it's Flint. It's population dropped nearly 5% to under 100,000 which is bad but not the worst. That award goes to Detroit which has lost nearly 50,000 people and an overall lose of just over 5%. Detroit is being hollowed out and urban farms are taking over certain neighborhoods. The issue is trying to convince people to buy homes there. I don't think you'll find buyers interested in buying a home in a neighborhood filled with boarded up vacant properties left and right. Some neighborhoods are decent but not in many parts of the city. You can find a nicer home in the suburbs and that's what people would rather look for.
For the top 5 metro areas losing population (percent-wise), Flint was the largest.
For some reason, despite the mountain views, decent weather and extremely low housing prices it doesn't seem to be attracting alot of retiree's like many other scenic western cities with similar views and weather.
Farmington is pretty isolated, which probably doesn't help in attracting retirees. There are limited local services, especially with respect to medical care.
Farmington's economy is centered around oil, natural gas, and coal, the prices for all of which are down in recent years.
Decline is more prevalent in older cities. There are the few good city core wealthy neighborhoods that everyone wants to live in while the rest of the city declines. The suburbs in Ohio, PA, and NY are booming. People have realized that city living isn't all that. The trend of working in the city but living in the burbs is back. The suburbs are safer, cost less, offer more property, have better schools, it's easier to get around, etc. On top of that, high end restaurants and breweries are opening in the burbs. Suburbs are having farmers markets and festivals. There is no reason to go into the city.
What are you talking about? NYC is booming, including neighborhoods that were once considered blighted. Everyone and their mother wants to live there and as a result, rents are getting super high even in the less desirable neighborhoods. And the NYC suburbs aren't even cheap, Nassau and Westchester County are quite expensive actually.
I live in a suburb of NYC and while I like my town, I would rather live in NYC proper.
Last week I was in Bridgeport, Connecticut, which didn't seem to be doing all too well. I felt like I was in Northwest Indiana.
While I'm not personally familiar, what's going on with the blue-collar, agricultural cities of Central California: Bakersfield, Fresno, Modesto, and Stockton? Are these cities changing for better or for worse?
Outside of Portland and Seattle, which seem to be doing well, is there much decline in the Pacific Northwest?
Last edited by Dawn.Davenport; 10-30-2016 at 08:06 PM..
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Serious decline? Not that I'm aware.
Slight decline or slightly beyond reaching maturity? Flint MI, Youngstown OH, Johnstown PA. Nothing against these places at all. They are just having some troubles. They still can get back on track in time. I've never been to these, but I do know there are good people who live there. I'm sure they are good places to live and have a happy life (Flint needs to fix their water though).
The largest urban area that I could even think of being near decline is New Orleans LA, which is still rebuilding after Katrina. I'm sure people will freak out by me using it as an example, but it is true to a good extent. New Orleans lost something in a big way that it may never get back from the disaster. It worries me that it could be another tragedy waiting to happen.
For some reason I also think Atlantic City NJ is not doing that well either. Not sure if it is in decline, but it is struggling to compete as a tourist/gaming destination as PA and other states have legalized gambling to varying degrees, which is more convenient/closer to Atlantic City's target audience. If Atlantic City is unable to reposition itself it could have troubles. Also it is susceptible to hurricane damage and flooding.
Last point, it is important not to confuse reaching maturity with being in decline. There are many metros that are stabilized, and there is nothing wrong with that at all.
Last edited by g500; 10-30-2016 at 10:16 PM..
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