Steady Staten
       |           

Welcome, Guest. Please login or register.
Did you miss your activation email?
March 28, 2024, 06:17:40 PM
News: Election Simulator 2.0 Released. Senate/Gubernatorial maps, proportional electoral votes, and more - Read more

  Talk Elections
  General Politics
  Political Geography & Demographics (Moderators: muon2, 15 Down, 35 To Go)
  Steady Staten
« previous next »
Pages: 1 [2] 3
Author Topic: Steady Staten  (Read 4195 times)
jimrtex
Atlas Icon
*****
Posts: 11,828
Marshall Islands


Show only this user's posts in this thread
« Reply #25 on: October 05, 2016, 01:24:34 AM »

Georgia Gainers

Richmond since 1790 (loss in 1800 due to creation of Columbia, Jefferson, and Warren). Richmond gained less than 1% between 2000 and 2010, and has gained less than 1% this decade.

Habersham since formation in 1820 (loss in 1840 due to creation of Lumpkin and Union; loss in 1860 due to creation of Banks and White; loss in 1910 due to creation of Stephens)

Hall since formation in 1820 (loss in 1840 due to creation of Cherokee, Fortsyth, Gilmer, Lumpkin, Murray, Union and Walker)

DeKalb since formation in 1830 (loss in 1860 due to creation of Fulton. Fulton lost population in 1970s)

Lowndes since formation in 1830 (loss in 1840 due to creation of Bartow, Lumpkin, and Union; loss in 1860 due to creation of Banks, Berrien, Brooks, Colquitt, Echols, and White)

Muscogee since formation in 1830 (loss in 1860 due to creation of Chattahoochee)

Baldwin since 1840

Floyd since formation in 1840

Glynn since 1860

Spalding since formation in 1860

Whitfield since formation in 1860

Cobb since 1870

Walker since 1870

Wayne since 1870 (loss in 1930 due to creation of Brantley)

Stephens since formation in 1910

Tiff since formation in 1910

Peach since formation in 1930.
Logged
jimrtex
Atlas Icon
*****
Posts: 11,828
Marshall Islands


Show only this user's posts in this thread
« Reply #26 on: October 05, 2016, 01:44:45 AM »
« Edited: October 29, 2016, 11:44:54 AM by jimrtex »

31st State is Wisconsin (plus West Virginia)

These counties have gained every census since 1790. If counties were formed from one of these counties, both the area at the previous census and the next census gained population. For example, if Buchanan county was created from Adams county between 1820 and 1830, then Adams vintage 1820 increased during the decade; and Buchanan vintage 1830 also increased during the decade.

For newer states, the starting date is the first census after statehood.



Counties Since 1790 Census

This includes the 13 original states plus the areas that later became Kentucky, Maine, and West Virginia; and Tennessee and Vermont.

Cumberland, ME

Hillsborough, NH

None in Vermont

Bristol, MA
Norfolk, MA
Plymouth, MA
Worcester, MA

None in Rhode Island

Fairfield, CT
New Haven, CT

Orange, NY
Richmond, NY
Suffolk, NY

Gloucester, NJ
Monmouth, NJ

Berks, PA
Bucks, PA
Chester, PA
Cumberland, PA
Dauphin, PA
Franklin, PA
Lancaster, PA
Montgomery, PA
York, PA

None in Delaware

Baltimore county, MD
Washington, MD

Campbell, VA (including Lynchburg)

Iredell, NC
Burke, NC
Guilford, NC
Lincoln, NC
Moore, NC
Orange, NC
Randolph, NC
Surry, NC
Wake, NC
Wilkes, NC

Greenville, SC

Richmond, GA

None in Kentucky

Davidson, TN
Greene, TN
Washington, TN

None in West Virginia



Counties That Have Gained Since First Census After Statehood

Since 1810

Butler, OH
Franklin, OH
Miami, OH

Since 1820

East Baton Rouge. LA

Floyd, IN
Monroe, IN

Baldwin, AL
Madison, AL
Morgan, AL
Shelby, AL
Tuscaloosa, AL

Since 1830

Cape Girardeau, MO
Cole, MO

Since 1840

Crittenden, AR
Pulaski, AR

Kalamazoo, MI
Kent, MI
Ottawa, MI

Since 1850

Brevard, FL
Duval, FL
Escambia, FL
Hillsborough, FL
Putnam, FL

Bexar, TX
Comal, TX
Dallas, TX
Galveston, TX
Harris, TX
Nueces, TX
Smith, TX
Travis, TX
Victoria, TX

Polk, IA

Brown, WI
Chippewa, WI
Dane, WI
Marathon, WI
Racine, WI
Sheboygan, WI
Waukesha, WI
Winnebago, WI



State Leaders That Began Streaks Since Statehood

Since 1810

New Castle, DE

Since 1830

Berkeley, WV

McCracken, KY

Sangamon, IL

Since 1880

Chittenden, VT

Since 1910

Forrest, MS

Since 1920

Washington, RI

Logged
jimrtex
Atlas Icon
*****
Posts: 11,828
Marshall Islands


Show only this user's posts in this thread
« Reply #27 on: October 05, 2016, 02:50:38 AM »

West Virginia Winners

Berkeley since 1830. Berkeley was one of the counties reported for Virginia in 1790, and included present day Jefferson and Morgan counties. It had roughly 1/3 of the population of the modern West Virginia. The loss between 1820 and 1830 occurred after the creation of Jefferson and Morgan counties.

Jefferson since 1920

Wood (Parkersburg) increased every decade from its formation in 1800 until 1980. It lost population in the 1990 and 2010 censuses.

Brooke, Hancock, and Mineral increased every decade since 1870 until 1980. Brooke and Hancock in the northern panhandle have lost the last three decades, and are working on a 4th decline. Mineral below the western tip of Maryland has recovered and reached an all time high in 2010.

West Virginia Losers

Ohio since 1940. The county seat is Wheeling. The county joins Cambria, PA and Clay, GA with the longest losing streaks in the original 13 states.

McDowell since 1950. This county deep in coal country has lost 79.9% of its population over the past 60 years.

Cabell since 1960. The county seat is Huntington. It had losses of 83 (0.08%) and 43 (0.04%) during this period. It is up for this decade.
Logged
jimrtex
Atlas Icon
*****
Posts: 11,828
Marshall Islands


Show only this user's posts in this thread
« Reply #28 on: October 05, 2016, 11:53:13 AM »

Kentucky Losers

Fulton since 1940
Hickman since 1940 (1940 only gain since 1920)

These counties are in the extreme western tip of Kentucky (Fulton includes the detached Kentucky Bend). Only 4 counties lost population in the 1980's, compared to 65 and 61 in the following and previous decade. These two counties join our list of 5 longest losing streaks.

Kentucky Gainers

McCracken since creation in 1830. It is down since 2010.

Fayette since 1860. Fayette was potentially a 1790 county, but had a few down years before the War, perhaps before Lexington became more established.

Warren since 1900

Boone since 1910

Daviess since 1920 (1920 was only loss since formation in 1830)

Franklin since 1920

Madison since 1920 (1920 was last loss since 1850)

Nelson since 1920

Notable

Boyd gained from formation in 1860 until 1980, but is down the past three decades.

Boyle's only loss was in 1970, since its formation in 1850.

Jefferson would have gained since 1790, except for losses in 1980 and 1990.

Bracken lost from 1880 to 1970. It is up the last four decades presumably due to its proximity to Cincinnati.

Kenton's loss in 1940, was only loss since formation in 1860.

Rowan's loss of -26 in 1950 (-0.20%) is its only loss since formation in 1860.
Logged
jimrtex
Atlas Icon
*****
Posts: 11,828
Marshall Islands


Show only this user's posts in this thread
« Reply #29 on: October 06, 2016, 05:39:05 PM »

Tennessee Losers

No Tennessee counties lost population in the 1990s, and only one in the 1970s.

8 counties lost population in the 2000s. Those that continued a trend were:

Lake, the only county that lost population in the 1970s. Has lost population every census since 1960, except 2000, losing 33% of its population.

Haywood has lost population in 5 of 7 censuses since 1940, losing 32% of its population.

Clay has lost population in 5 of 7 censuses since 1940, losing 28% of its population.

Grundy has lost population in 4 of 6 censuses since 1950.

Obion has gained 16.6% since 1890, gaining in seven censuses, and losing in five. It reached local maxima in 1910, 1940, 1980, and 2000; and local minima 1920, 1960, and 1990.

Tennessee Winners

Davidson since 1790. Nashville is the county seat.

Greene since 1790, the loss in 1800 was due to the creation of Cooke, Jefferson, and Sevier. Greene is in far eastern Tennessee, and is losing population this decade.

Washington since 1790, the loss in 1880 was due to the creation of Unicoi. Washington is in far eastern Tennessee, and is the first county created in what is now Tennessee.

Knox since formation in 1800, the loss in 1810, was due to the creation of Anderson and Roane. Knoxville is the county seat.

Anderson since formation in 1810. Anderson tripled in population between 1930 and 1950 (it is the site of Oak Ridge), and has quite modest gains since.

Shelby since formation in 1820. Memphis is the county seat.

Madison since formation in 1830, the loss in 1890 was due to the creation of Chester. Jackson is the county seat, and is losing population this decade.

Blount since 1830.

Franklin since 1830 (loss in 1840 is due to creation of Coffee).

Cumberland since formation in 1860.

Bradley since 1870.

Hamblen since formation in 1880.

Loudon since formation in 1880.
Logged
jimrtex
Atlas Icon
*****
Posts: 11,828
Marshall Islands


Show only this user's posts in this thread
« Reply #30 on: October 06, 2016, 08:31:30 PM »

Ohio became a state in 1803, after being a territory since 1802. There had been a few counties defined while part of the Northwest Territory, but most county formation happened after statehood. Thus any county that has increased every census since 1810 will be considered an original county.

Ohio Winners

Butler since 1810
Franklin since 1810
Miami since 1810 (Miami has been barely gaining, apparently benefiting from spillover from Dayton)

Lake since formation in 1840 (down for current decade)

Portage since 1860
Licking since 1870
Medina since 1870
Fairfield since 1890

Ohio Losers

Only nine counties lost between 1970 and 1980. Seven found it onto this list.

Jefferson since 1960. Jefferson joins the national list. During the past 50 years it has lost 30% of its population. The county seat is Steubenville.

Clark(Springfield), Crawford(Bucyrus), Cuyahoga(Cleveland), Hamilton(Cincinnati), Lucas(Toledo), and Mahoning(Youngstown).

Hamilton is up on this decade. I'm a bit surprised to see Clark on the list, but it has four consecutive small losses. Perhaps enough growth from Dayton to keep it low, but not to cause a gain.
Logged
jimrtex
Atlas Icon
*****
Posts: 11,828
Marshall Islands


Show only this user's posts in this thread
« Reply #31 on: October 08, 2016, 07:51:46 PM »

Louisiana became the 18th State in 1812. Parishes that have gained since 1820 are considered to have gained every census since statehood.

Louisiana Gainers

East Baton Rouge since formation in 1820 (last 3 decades were only decades below 10%).

Lafayette since formation in 1830. Loss in 1850 due to creation of Vermillion.

Ouachita since 1860.

Bossier since 1910.

Louisiana Losers

Only 6 parishes lost population in the 1970s. Among them:

Tensas since 1940, losing 67% of its population.

East Carroll since 1940, losing 59% of its population.

Orleans since 1960. Katrina may cause it to be positive for this decade.

West Carroll, every decade since 1940 except 2000.
Logged
jimrtex
Atlas Icon
*****
Posts: 11,828
Marshall Islands


Show only this user's posts in this thread
« Reply #32 on: October 08, 2016, 08:37:52 PM »

Indiana became the 19th State in 1813. Very few counties existed in 1810.

Indiana Gainers

Floyd (New Albany) since formation in 1820
Monroe (Bloomington) since formation in 1820

Allen (Fort Wayne) since formation in 1830
Elkhart (Elkhart) since formation in 1830
Johnson since formation in 1830

Tippecanoe since 1890

Indiana Losers

13 counties lost between 1970 and 1980, with 11 losing in both 1980 and 1990. Five of those have continued their streak.

Benton since 1960 (on the Illinois line west of Lafayette. Benton is adjacent to Tippecanoe, a gainer since 1890.

Blackford, Delaware(Muncie), Grant, and Wayne since 1970. All four are in east central Indiana.
Logged
jimrtex
Atlas Icon
*****
Posts: 11,828
Marshall Islands


Show only this user's posts in this thread
« Reply #33 on: October 10, 2016, 12:17:15 PM »

Mississippi became the 20th State in 1817. At the time only the southern part of the state was open to settlement, and relatively few counties existed. Mississippi as a whole lost population in the 1920 and 1960 census.

Mississippi Gainers

Forrest since formation in 1910. The county seat is Hattiesburg, where University of Southern Mississippi is located. Many of the consistent gainers are on the interior Gulf Coast where counties were formed in the early 20th Century.

George since 1920. Interior Gulf Coast.

Oktibbeha since 1920. The county seat is Starkville, where Mississippi State is located.

Rankin since 1920. Rankin is the eastern suburbs of Jackson.

Stone since 1930. Interior Gulf Coast.

Hancock since 1940. Gulf Coast.

Lamar since 1940. Interior Gulf Coast.

Pearl River since 1940. Interior Gulf Coast.

Harrison had gained every decade since 1860, but lost in 2010, likely due to Katrina. The loss in 1920 was due to the creation of Stone. The county seats are Biloxi and Gulfport.

Hinds(Jackson) and Lowndes(Columbus) had increased every decade from 1920 to 1990. Lowndes declined in 2010, and Hinds declined both decades.

Mississippi Losers

In 1990, 15 counties had lost population since at least 1950. Six survive and join the national list.

Bolivar has lost since 1930. Over the past eight decades it has lost 52% of its population, with the largest percentage decline occurring in 2010. Bolivar is in the Delta.

Humphreys has lost since 1940. Located in the Delta, it has lost 64% of its population.

Noxubee has lost since 1940. It is on the Alabama border, and adjacent to consistent gainer Oktibbeha.

Quitman has lost since 1940. Located in the Delta, it has lost 70% of its population.

Sharkey has lost since 1940. Located in the Delta, it has lost 68% of its population.

Coahoma has lost since 1950. It is located in the Delta.

Jefferson lost population every decade from 1900 to 1990, but had an increase in 2000, followed by a decrease of 20.6% in 2010. Jefferson is north of Natchez and has the highest Black percentage in the country (85.7%). The increase in 2000 appears to be related to a new prison that opened. The 1990s census estimates totally missed the increase in population, while the 2000s estimates pegged the loss almost perfectly. The main campus of Alcorn State University has an address of Lorman, Mississippi, which is in Jefferson County, but the campus is actually in Claiborne County to the north.

Tallahatchie lost population from 1920 to 2000, but gained in 2010 after a private prison was built. The prison currently houses 2500 overflow prisoners from Califormia.

LeFlore lost population from 1930 to 1990, but gained in 2000 after a prison was built. It has since closed, and the population decline has resumed.

Sunflower lost population from 1930 to 1990, but gained in population in 2000. Sunflower is the location of the Mississippi State Penitentiary (Parchman Farm), and the 2000 increase may have been a result of an increased prison population.

Amite, Holmes, Issaquena, Tunica, and Wilkinson loat population from 1940 to 1990, but increased in 2000. All but Tunica lost in 2010.

Amite is on the Louisiana line southeast of Natchez and is the only county among longtime losers with a White majority (58%).

Holmes gained 5 persons (0.02%) in 2000, and lost about 2400 (11.16%) in 2010.

Issaquena is the least populous county in the US east of the Mississippi River. A regional prison opened in 1997, and the county population increased by 300. In the next decade it declined by 38.6%. The 2010 population is 11.4% of the peak population in 1890. In 1860, the slave population of 92.5% was the highest in the US. I found an article from the 1990s that Issaquena had approved riverboat casino gambling, but that Warren (Vicksburg) might reconsider its No vote. Issaquena is midway between Greenville and Vicksburg, both of which also have casinos. But both have river crossings and a more substantial population. It is conceivable that Issaquena had an early casino, but that it relocated to a more lucrative location.

Tunica increased in both 2000 and 2010 due to the presence of casinos. Tunica is just south of Memphis.

Wilkinson, south of Natchez increased in 2000 after a private prison was built, but continued its decline in 2010.
Logged
jimrtex
Atlas Icon
*****
Posts: 11,828
Marshall Islands


Show only this user's posts in this thread
« Reply #34 on: October 10, 2016, 11:25:11 PM »

I didn't do a complete analysis of some of the early states.

Vermont Gainers

Chittenden since 1880. Burlington is the county seat.

Windsor had been since 1880, but declined in 2010.

Vermont Losers

No Vermont counties lost population between 1970 and 2000, but three lost population in 2010:

Essex, Rutland, and Windsor since 2000.

Essex was the only county in Vermont to lose population in 1970, and had lost every decade between 1890 and 1970. Essex is in the extreme northeastern corner of the state.

Windsor had been tied with Chittenden for the longest streak (12 decades). Windsor is in the southeast along the Connecticut River.

Rutland is the second largest county in the state, but is at risk at being surpassed by Washington. Washington is also losing population this decade. If Washington passes Rutland, it will the second largest county in Vermont, but the third (or 5th) least populous county containing a state capital (Hughes, South Dakota and Franklin, Kentucky are smaller, as are Carson City, Nevada and Juneau Borough, Alaska).

ps Washington was originally named Jefferson (in 1810). It was renamed after the Federalists took control of the legislature in 1814. Vermont which did considerable trade with Quebec (British Canada) had been particularly harmed by the Embargo Act of 1807 passed during the Jefferson administration.

Logged
jimrtex
Atlas Icon
*****
Posts: 11,828
Marshall Islands


Show only this user's posts in this thread
« Reply #35 on: October 12, 2016, 12:23:08 AM »

Rhode Island Gainers

Washington since 1920. Washington only lost 10 (0.04%) from 1910 to 1920, otherwise the streak would be from 1840. Washington is down this decade.

Kent increased from 1800 to 2000, but lost population in 2010, and thus lost population in the first and last decades, while gaining in the 20 in between.

Bristol increased from 1830 to 2000, but lost population in 2010.

Rhode Island Losers

Newport has lost population since 1990.
Logged
jimrtex
Atlas Icon
*****
Posts: 11,828
Marshall Islands


Show only this user's posts in this thread
« Reply #36 on: October 12, 2016, 09:00:15 PM »

Connecticut Losers

No counties lost population in 2010. The previous loss was by Hartford from 1970-1980. The loss before that was Tolland from 1890-1900.

New Jersey Losers

Cape May and Essex counties were only counties to lose in 2010.

Delaware Losers

Last negative census was 1920 for Kent and Sussex. Kent lost from 1900-1920. Sussex lost from 1910-1920.

Delaware Winners

New Castle has gained since 1810.
Logged
jimrtex
Atlas Icon
*****
Posts: 11,828
Marshall Islands


Show only this user's posts in this thread
« Reply #37 on: October 13, 2016, 03:32:30 AM »

Illinois is the 21st State acceding to the Union in 1818. 19 counties were included in the 1820 Census and 49 in 1830.

Illinois Gainers

Since formation in 1830.

Sangamon (Springfield, State capital)

Since formation in 1840.

Champaign (Champaign-Urbana, University of Illinois)
DuPage (west Chicagoland, Naperville, West Chicago)
Kane (far west Chicagoland, Aurora, Elgin)
Lake (north Chicagoland, Waukegan)
McHenry (northwest Chicagoland)
McLean (Bloomington-Normal, Illinois State University)
Will (south Chicagoland, Joliet)
Winnebago (Rockford)

McHenry and Winnebago are down this decade. Lake is up by only 0.06%.

Illinois Losers

80 counties lost population in 1990, but only 14 in 1980. 12 counties lost population in both decades. Six of these have gained in at least one of 2000 and 2010. This leaves 6 counties that have lost since at least 1970:

Stark since 1900. Stark is north of Peoria, and has lost in all but one census since 1880. Overall, it has only lost 47% of its population. Stark is the new national leader.

Greene since 1920. Greene is north of St.Louis and westerly of Springfield. It has lost all but one census since 1890, but has only lost 39% of its population (-0.42% average decline). Greene is second on the national list.

Pike since 1940. Pike is on the Mississippi river northwest of St.Louis. It has lost in all but one census since 2000.

Carroll since 1960. Carroll is on the Mississippi River in northwestern Illinois between Galena and Moline-Rock Island (Illinois duo of Quad Cities). Carroll has experienced decline associated with the reduced force and eventual closure of the Savanna Army Depot.

Ford since 1960. Ford is in east central Illinois, north of Champaign-Urbana and east of Bloomington-Normal. It is adjacent to consistent gainers Champaign and McLean.

Vermilion since 1970. Vermilion is on the Indiana line, east of Champaign-Urbana.

The common characteristic of these counties is rural, with no large towns. The largest towns are around 4000 or so, and may have gained populations as farmers have moved to town as farms consolidated. Towns around 1000 to 1500 appear to be slowly declining due to attrition as they are too small support much commercial activity.
Logged
muon2
Moderator
Atlas Icon
*****
Posts: 16,788


Show only this user's posts in this thread
« Reply #38 on: October 13, 2016, 07:21:36 AM »

Illinois is the 21st State acceding to the Union in 1818. 19 counties were included in the 1820 Census and 49 in 1830.

Illinois Gainers

Since formation in 1830.

Sangamon (Springfield, State capital)

Since formation in 1840.

Champaign (Champaign-Urbana, University of Illinois)
DuPage (west Chicagoland, Naperville, West Chicago)
Kane (far west Chicagoland, Aurora, Elgin)
Lake (north Chicagoland, Waukegan)
McHenry (northwest Chicagoland)
McLean (Bloomington-Normal, Illinois State University)
Will (south Chicagoland, Joliet)
Winnebago (Rockford)

McHenry and Winnebago are down this decade. Lake is up by only 0.06%.

Illinois Losers

80 counties lost population in 1990, but only 14 in 1980. 12 counties lost population in both decades. Six of these have gained in at least one of 2000 and 2010. This leaves 6 counties that have lost since at least 1970:

Stark since 1900. Stark is north of Peoria, and has lost in all but one census since 1880. Overall, it has only lost 47% of its population. Stark is the new national leader.

Greene since 1920. Greene is north of St.Louis and westerly of Springfield. It has lost all but one census since 1890, but has only lost 39% of its population (-0.42% average decline). Greene is second on the national list.

Pike since 1940. Pike is on the Mississippi river northwest of St.Louis. It has lost in all but one census since 2000.

Carroll since 1960. Carroll is on the Mississippi River in northwestern Illinois between Galena and Moline-Rock Island (Illinois duo of Quad Cities). Carroll has experienced decline associated with the reduced force and eventual closure of the Savanna Army Depot.

Ford since 1960. Ford is in east central Illinois, north of Champaign-Urbana and east of Bloomington-Normal. It is adjacent to consistent gainers Champaign and McLean.

Vermilion since 1970. Vermilion is on the Indiana line, east of Champaign-Urbana.

The common characteristic of these counties is rural, with no large towns. The largest towns are around 4000 or so, and may have gained populations as farmers have moved to town as farms consolidated. Towns around 1000 to 1500 appear to be slowly declining due to attrition as they are too small support much commercial activity.

The losses in McHenry should be more alarming to the state than they are. McHenry is predominantly middle and upper-middle class suburbs of Chicago with no large old poor urban center like Aurora or Waukegan. It still has undeveloped ag land in the west so it isn't landlocked. The decline there is a bellwether for the state's economy and reflects on how hard it is to revive the state post recession.

Stark is a favorite county for me to use as an example of a place in the middle of a state most of it's residents haven't been to, and even well-traveled residents haven't heard of. There are no main roads connecting larger cities that go through Stark, so you have to intentionally decide to go there.

Vermilion is the anomaly on the list of losers. It has a respectable small city in Danville (pop 32K) that had been up to 42K as recently as 1970. For a century it was a manufacturing center in the open pit coal mining region of the state, and has a large downtown reflecting its past prominence.
Logged
DINGO Joe
dingojoe
Atlas Icon
*****
Posts: 11,700
United States


Show only this user's posts in this thread
« Reply #39 on: October 13, 2016, 02:08:22 PM »

I would think that the steady grinding down of Sears Holding in the Lampert era would have had a considerable effect on McHenry over the last decade.
Logged
muon2
Moderator
Atlas Icon
*****
Posts: 16,788


Show only this user's posts in this thread
« Reply #40 on: October 13, 2016, 03:32:24 PM »

I would think that the steady grinding down of Sears Holding in the Lampert era would have had a considerable effect on McHenry over the last decade.

Not so much. Sears is in Cook, though relatively close to McHenry. When Sears relocated to the burbs many of the employees stayed near the city, so much so that Sears ran bus service to shuttle employees out from Chicago.

It appears that the bigger losses are from small to midsize businesses, not Fortune 500 sized firms.
Logged
DINGO Joe
dingojoe
Atlas Icon
*****
Posts: 11,700
United States


Show only this user's posts in this thread
« Reply #41 on: October 13, 2016, 05:37:04 PM »

I would think that the steady grinding down of Sears Holding in the Lampert era would have had a considerable effect on McHenry over the last decade.

Not so much. Sears is in Cook, though relatively close to McHenry. When Sears relocated to the burbs many of the employees stayed near the city, so much so that Sears ran bus service to shuttle employees out from Chicago.

It appears that the bigger losses are from small to midsize businesses, not Fortune 500 sized firms.

I was certainly Hoffman Estates was in McHenry.  Oh well, so much for my collar county literacy.
Logged
jimrtex
Atlas Icon
*****
Posts: 11,828
Marshall Islands


Show only this user's posts in this thread
« Reply #42 on: October 14, 2016, 04:30:55 AM »

Illinois is the 21st State acceding to the Union in 1818. 19 counties were included in the 1820 Census and 49 in 1830.

Illinois Gainers

Since formation in 1830.

Sangamon (Springfield, State capital)

Since formation in 1840.

Champaign (Champaign-Urbana, University of Illinois)
DuPage (west Chicagoland, Naperville, West Chicago)
Kane (far west Chicagoland, Aurora, Elgin)
Lake (north Chicagoland, Waukegan)
McHenry (northwest Chicagoland)
McLean (Bloomington-Normal, Illinois State University)
Will (south Chicagoland, Joliet)
Winnebago (Rockford)

McHenry and Winnebago are down this decade. Lake is up by only 0.06%.

Illinois Losers

80 counties lost population in 1990, but only 14 in 1980. 12 counties lost population in both decades. Six of these have gained in at least one of 2000 and 2010. This leaves 6 counties that have lost since at least 1970:

Stark since 1900. Stark is north of Peoria, and has lost in all but one census since 1880. Overall, it has only lost 47% of its population. Stark is the new national leader.

Greene since 1920. Greene is north of St.Louis and westerly of Springfield. It has lost all but one census since 1890, but has only lost 39% of its population (-0.42% average decline). Greene is second on the national list.

Pike since 1940. Pike is on the Mississippi river northwest of St.Louis. It has lost in all but one census since 2000.

Carroll since 1960. Carroll is on the Mississippi River in northwestern Illinois between Galena and Moline-Rock Island (Illinois duo of Quad Cities). Carroll has experienced decline associated with the reduced force and eventual closure of the Savanna Army Depot.

Ford since 1960. Ford is in east central Illinois, north of Champaign-Urbana and east of Bloomington-Normal. It is adjacent to consistent gainers Champaign and McLean.

Vermilion since 1970. Vermilion is on the Indiana line, east of Champaign-Urbana.

The common characteristic of these counties is rural, with no large towns. The largest towns are around 4000 or so, and may have gained populations as farmers have moved to town as farms consolidated. Towns around 1000 to 1500 appear to be slowly declining due to attrition as they are too small support much commercial activity.

The losses in McHenry should be more alarming to the state than they are. McHenry is predominantly middle and upper-middle class suburbs of Chicago with no large old poor urban center like Aurora or Waukegan. It still has undeveloped ag land in the west so it isn't landlocked. The decline there is a bellwether for the state's economy and reflects on how hard it is to revive the state post recession.

Stark is a favorite county for me to use as an example of a place in the middle of a state most of it's residents haven't been to, and even well-traveled residents haven't heard of. There are no main roads connecting larger cities that go through Stark, so you have to intentionally decide to go there.

Vermilion is the anomaly on the list of losers. It has a respectable small city in Danville (pop 32K) that had been up to 42K as recently as 1970. For a century it was a manufacturing center in the open pit coal mining region of the state, and has a large downtown reflecting its past prominence.

There appears to be a pullback from exurban counties. Pike and Monroe in Pennsylvania have sharply curbed their growth rates. McHenry is the most distant collar county from Chicago, and there is not the need to go further out for cheap land. For people who are single or childless, Chicago may be more desirable than in the past.

Will, Kane, and McHenry the 3 fastest growing collar counties from 2000 to 2010 have really slammed on the brakes so far. This has also happened in Kendall which had 110.4% growth from 2000 to 2010, and only 7.5% so far this decade.

Stark is actually part of the Peoria metro area. This is likely due to the total lack of non-farm employment. Farmers/spouses can commute into Peoria for a more steady income, and the total employment base is so small, that it qualifies for inclusion as a commuter county.
Logged
jimrtex
Atlas Icon
*****
Posts: 11,828
Marshall Islands


Show only this user's posts in this thread
« Reply #43 on: October 14, 2016, 09:47:58 PM »

Alabama became the 22nd State in 1819. By 1820 it had 24 counties.

Alabama Gainers

Baldwin since 1820. Loss in 1870 was due to creation of Escambia. Alabama is across Mobile Bay from Mobile.

Madison since 1810. Loss in 1840 was due to creation of Marshall. Madison is the first county in what is now Alabama. The county seat is Huntsville.

Morgan since 1820. It was originally called Cotaco. The county seat is Decatur, and it is only up 0.6% this decade,

Shelby since 1820. Loss in 1870 due to creation of Baker (now named Chilton). Shelby is a suburban county southeast of Birmingham.

Tuscaloosa since 1820. Loss in 1870 due to creation of Hale. The city of Tuscaloosa was the state capital from 1826-1845, and is location of the University of Alabama.

I'm not 100% sure that Baldwin, Madison, and Tuscaloosa gained population when other counties were created, since the new counties were created from multiple counties. But I'd have to be able to figure out local populations to be sure.

Alabama Losers

Only eight counties lost population between 1970 and 1980, five of which lost from 1960 to 1990. Four of these continued their streaks through 2010.

Hale lost from 1930 to 1990, but gained in 2000. Prior to that it had the longest streak in Alabama. It may have experienced spillover from Tuscaloosa.

Perry, Sumter, and Wilcox have lost since 1940. Wilcox has lost in all but two decades since 1880, and has lost 68% of its peak 2000 population.

Dallas has lost since 1960. The county seat is Selma, which appears to have slowed the decline of the county population. From about 1900 to 1980 the county population was quite steady while the city population tripled. Since then, both the city and county have lost about 1/3 of their population.
Logged
jimrtex
Atlas Icon
*****
Posts: 11,828
Marshall Islands


Show only this user's posts in this thread
« Reply #44 on: October 15, 2016, 03:52:09 PM »

Missouri is the 24th State, acceding to the Union in 1821. Maine, the 23rd State, was analyzed based on its history being part of Massachusetts.

Missouri Gainers

Cape Girardeau since 1810. Cape Girardeau was one of 5 districts formed in the region of Missouri of the Louisana District of Indiana Territory: St.Charles, St.Louis, Ste.Genevieve, Cape Girardeau, and New Madrid. These districts extended indefinitely to the west. St. Charles apparently included everything north of the Missouri River. These districts were later part of Louisiana Territory. When Louisiana became a State, the remainder of the Louisiana Purchase became Missouri Territory (it included modern Arkansas) . The 5 districts became the first five counties of Missouri Territory. Cape Girardeau was quickly reduced to its modern limits plus Bollinger, which was detached in 1851.

Cole since its formation in 1830. The loss in 1850 was due to the creation of Moniteau. Jefferson City is the county seat, as well as being the state capital and site of the state penitentiary.

Greene since its formation in 1840. The county seat is Springfield.

St. Louis county had gained since 1810, but lost population in 2010. St. Louis city was separated from  the county prior to the 1880 census. The area outside the city appears to have gained since the city was first enumerated in 1830, though the city may have been expanded at the time it was separated. At the time of separation, the city had more than ten times the county population. Voters in the county were opposed to separation, while those in the city favored it. In 2010, the county has over three times the population of the city. The combined area has been declining since 1970.

Missouri Losers

22 counties lost population in the 1980s. This was much fewer than most of the 20th Century (in the 1940s, 78% of Missouri counties declined. By 1990, 15 counties had long term declines. Eight of these continue:

Knox since 1890, making it the longest sustained decliner discovered so far. Knox is in the northeastern corner of the state. Knox has lost 69% of its population over the past 120 years. The decline is so severe, and the period from its first census in 1850 so short, that the 2010 population was the second smallest ever. This has been true for every census since 1950.

Carroll since 1900. Carroll is on the Missouri River between Kansas City and Jefferson City.

Chariton since 1900. Chariton is on the Missouri River on the western edge of Little Dixie. At the end of the Civil War, the black population was 14%, it is now around 3%.

Shelby since 1900. Shelby is south of Knox.

Worth since 1900. Worth is on the Iowa border in the northwest. Worth is the newest county, and the smallest in both area and population. Worth has lost 78% of its population since 1900, and has set a new low in population every census since 1960. The size of Worth is due to a boundary dispute between Iowa and Missouri. Missouri lost, and what might have been the northern half of Worth is in Iowa.

New Madrid since 1940. New Madrid is in far southeastern Missouri. While counties in the northern part of the state had begun their population decline from 1900, New Madrid quadrupled in population between 1900 and 1940, before farm mechanization began the population decline.

Pemiscot since 1940. Pemiscot is in the Bootheel. Like New Madrid to the north it expanded in population during the first half of the 20th Century. Pemiscot is 26% black, the highest in the state outside St.Louis and Kansas City.

St.Louis city since 1950. The city has lost 63% of its population during the past six decades.

Gentry (northwest), Harrison (northwest), Howard (Little Dixie), Mercer (northwest), Scotland (northeast), and Sullivan (north central) had lost from 1900 to 1990, but gained in 2000. Mississippi (southeast) lost from 1940 to 2000, but gained in 2010.

The loss patterns are illustrative of why it is difficult to classify Missouri's region.

Many of the long time losers are near the Iowa border and have very little black population. Their losses are due to limitations on successful family farming - enough land and water to produce enough income to buy equipment and clothing and televisions and household goods. It is generally difficult to get to these counties, so the towns are quite small, and there are few non-farming alternatives.

There are a few counties in the Little Dixie area. While they had slave populations in the teens, and higher (Howard was 30%) the black share of the population of the population is now only a few percent. While the loss of black population has contributed to the sustained population loss, it is also a case of isolation and a farm based economy. Carroll, Chariton, and Howard are on the north side of the Missouri River where it jogs to the north west of Jefferson City, and are distant from Kansas City, Columbia, and Jefferson City. I-70 takes a short-cut far to the south, leaving these counties in a transportation oxbow.

The counties in the extreme southeast have large black populations, which have not declined, and whose population decline began with farm mechanization in the middle 20th Century.

St.Louis did not have a large black population at the end of the Civil War, but since has become a majority black city, so it is more like Chicago and Detroit and other midwestern cities.
Logged
jimrtex
Atlas Icon
*****
Posts: 11,828
Marshall Islands


Show only this user's posts in this thread
« Reply #45 on: October 16, 2016, 08:03:42 AM »

Arkansas is the 25th State, entering the Union is 1836. Arkansas has two recent chokepoints with regard to population growth. In the 1950s, only 6 of 75 counties gained population. In the 1970s, only 8 of 75 counties lost population.

Arkansas Gainers

Crittenden since 1830. The loss in 1870 was due to the creation of Cross and a boundary change with St. Francis. Crittenden is across the Mississippi River from Memphis, which has apparently permitted Crittenden to continue to grow, which is quite atypical for counties along or near the river. Recent growth is quite small, a total of 7.9% between 1950 and 2010 (annualized rate of 0.13%). The population is down this decade.

Pulaski since 1820. Little Rock is the county seat and state capital.

Of the other four counties that made it through the 1950s chokepoint, three have continued to grow, but had losses earlier in the 20th Century:

Saline has gained since 1940. The loss from 1930 to 1940 was the only loss since the county was formed in 1840, with the exception of a loss in 1870 coincident with the creation of Grant. Saline is southwest of Little Rock, and has seen suburban growth in recent decades.

Sebastian has gained since 1940. The loss from 1930 to 1940 was the only loss since the county was formed in 1860. The county seats are Fort Smith and Greenwood.

Washington has gained since 1910. The loss from 1900 to 1910 was the only loss since the county was formed in 1830. The county seat is Fayetteville (phonetic 'F't'v'l) the location of the University of Arkansas.

Jefferson is the other county that made it through the 1950s chokepoint. It had gained every census since 1830, but has lost population the last three decades. Located on the Arkansas River in southeastern Arkansas, the county seat is Pine Bluff. Like Selma, Alabama, and Albany, Georgia, the small city kept the population growing while heavily black rural counties nearby were declining, but in more recent times, the city itself has lost population.

Arkansas Losers

Only eight counties lost population between 1970 and 1980. Six of them have continued to lose, and are on the national list.

Woodruff lost since 1930. Woodruff is about midway between Little Rock and Memphis, but north of I-40. Woodruff has lost 68% of its population over the past 80 years.

Chicot since 1940. Chicot is in the southeastern corner of the state.

Lee since 1940. Lee is on the Mississippi River southwest of Memphis.

Monroe since 1940. Monroe is about midway between Little Rock and Memphis. I-40 crosses the northern part of the county.

Mississippi since 1950. Mississippi is on the Mississippi River south of the Missouri Bootheel. The county quintupled in population between 1900 and 1950.

Phillips since 1950. Phillips is on the Mississippi River south of Memphis.

Two counties experienced growth since 1980 that broke their streaks.

Ouachita gained 31 persons (0.11%) between 1980 and 1990, the sole exception to losses from 1950-2010. Ouachita is in south central Arkansas.

Prairie gained 21 persons (0.22%) between 1990 and 2000, breaking a streak that began in 1940.
Logged
jimrtex
Atlas Icon
*****
Posts: 11,828
Marshall Islands


Show only this user's posts in this thread
« Reply #46 on: October 17, 2016, 01:03:09 PM »
« Edited: November 01, 2016, 04:50:23 AM by jimrtex »

Michigan became the 26th State in 1837. At the 1840 Census the population was heavily concentrated in the south and particularly the southeast. The most populous counties were Wayne, Oakland, Washtenaw, Lenawee, Jackson, Calhoun, Monroe, Macomb. Livingston, Kalamazoo, Hillsdale, and St.Joseph, which contained 76% of the population. Wayne, Oakland, and Washtenaw had almost identical populations (24173, 23646, and 23646) and together had 1/3 of the state population. The capital was moved from Detroit to Lansing in 1847, in part to boost the interior, and to move the capital away from the Canadian border.

48 of 85 counties lost population between 1910 and 1920, and 46 of 85 between 1920 and 1930. Many of the losses were to Detroit sucking workers from the countryside. Macomb, Monroe, Oakland, and Washtenaw all lost population early in the 20th Century.

All but 8 counties gained population between 1970 and 1980.

Michigan Gainers

Kalamazoo since 1840. The county seat is Kalamazoo.

Kent since 1840. The county seat is Grand Rapids.

Ottawa since 1840. The county seat is Grand Haven, but the largest city is Holland, and the county also see spillover from Grand Rapids.

Oakland since 1890. The then rural area had a 0.7% decline from 1880 to 1890, its only decade of decline since 1820. Between 2000 and 2010 it eked out a 0.7% gain, but has since began to increase a bit more.

Ingham had gained every decade from 1840 to 1990, before a small loss in 2000. The county seat is Mason. Ingham County is the only county with a state capital (Lansing) that is not the county seat. Ingham County not only has the state capital, but Michigan State University in East Lansing. But it also has auto manufacturing. That Lansing is in the corner of the county may have resulted in some growth to the west and north (while Ingham lost 0.9%, Clinton gained 11.9% and Eaton gained 11.6%).

Michigan Losers

Eight counties lost population between 1970 and 1980. Four of them continue their streaks.

Iron has lost since 1920. Iron is on the Wisconsin border on the Upper Peninsula.

Gogebic has lost since 1940. Gogebic is the westernmost county on the Upper Peninsula.

Ontonagon has lost since 1960. Ontonagon is adjacent to Iron and Gogebic.

Wayne has lost since 1970. The county had a minuscule gain between 1960 and 1970 (0.017%). The proportion of the county within Detroit has dropped from 88% in 1910 to 39% in 2010.

Four counties that lost in 1980 have gains since then.

Keeweenaw lost every census from 1910 to 1990, but had a 35% gain in 2000. I have not found a source for this increase which was concentrated in the smaller towns of the county:

Year        1990 2000
Allouez     1422 1584
Eagle Harbor  92  281
Grant        104  172
Houghton      54  204
Sherman       39   60


Speculation? People with seasonal residences were encouraged to report living in the county? About 3/4 of housing units are classified as being seasonal.

Keeweenaw is Michigan's least populous and largest area county, and the only county to border Minnesota.

Luce had lost from 1950 to 1990, but gained in 2000 due to conversion in 1996 of mental health facility that had closed to a state prison. Luce is on the Lake Superior shore of the eastern Upper Peninsula.

Chippewa lost from 1960 to 1980, but had strong gains in 1990 and 2000, and a small loss in 2010. The county seat is Sault Ste. Marie.

Calhoun lost from 1970 to 1990, before a small gain in 2000. The largest city is Battle Creek, but the county seat is Marshall. The differentiation between Kalamazoo and Calhoun is remarkable. Kalamazoo first surpassed Clahoun in 1930. It now has about 65% more population.
Logged
jimrtex
Atlas Icon
*****
Posts: 11,828
Marshall Islands


Show only this user's posts in this thread
« Reply #47 on: October 19, 2016, 06:28:55 PM »

Florida is the 27th State, acceding to the Union in 1845. At the time the population was concentrated in the north. Placing the capital in Tallahassee, centrally located between Jacksonville and Pensacola was quite sensible.

There were only 4 counties in the southern part of the state, Hillsborough, Monroe, St.Lucie (later Brevard, the current St. Lucie is a different county, and Dade). The population consisted of Tampa and Key West. The east coast was almost empty, with Dade being disestablished for a while.

By 1910, there were 11 counties in the southern part of the state, with the addition of Manatee, De Soto, Lee, Polk, Osceola, St.Lucie (the modern version) and Palm Beach. Another 12 were added by 1930, when the current set of counties was complete.

The northern part of the state was based on agriculture, and population changes looked more like Georgia, though blacks could migrate to Tampa or Jacksonville or Miami rather than Chicago or Cleveland. But even these areas were beginning to gain population by the mid-20th Century. With a few 1000 people, a few 100 retirees, whether living in mobile homes or a cinder block house could cause the population to stabilize or increase. To someone who survived the depression, this could represent paradise.

There have only been three county population losses over the past 40 years. As a result, Florida has dozens of counties that have gained in every census of their existence, but relatively few for the State's existence.

Florida Gainers

Duval since 1830. Duval which shares a consolidated government with Jacksonville is one of the first four counties in Florida and has essentially had its current boundaries since Clay was created in the 1850s.

Escambia since 1830. Escambia is one of two counties established by Andrew Jackson as military commander, and included all of the territory west of the Suwanee River. Escambia had been reduced to essentially its current boundaries after creation of Santa Rosa in the 1840s. Escambia is Florida's westernmost county. It only increased 1.1% during the 2000s. This appears to be due to the effect of Hurricane Ivan and the 2005 BRAC reductions at Naval Air Station Pensacola. It has recovered somewhat.

Hillsborough since 1840. Hillsborough was created in the 1830s, and included a vast area around Tampa Bay from modern Citrus and Marion to Charlotte and Glades. By 1870 it had been reduced to the modern Hillsborough and Pinellas, but only had about 3000 persons. The arrival of the railroad in Tampa in 1883, as well development of phosphate mining promoted development of the port, city, and county. Pinellas was split off in 1911.

Brevard since 1850. The loss in 1910 was due to the creation of St.Lucie. Brevard was created in 1844 as St.Lucie but was soon renamed to Brevard. The original county stretched southward from Cape Canaveral to below Lake Okeechobee and also included inland areas such as modern Osceola.

Putnam since 1850. Putnam was created in 1849, and while there have been numerous border adjustments it is pretty much the same area. Presumably, the location on the St.Johns River has provided population stability. Putnam has declined so far this decade.

Florida has 20 additional counties that have grown every decade since their formation.

Manatee since its formation in 1860. The loss in 1890 was due to the creation of De Soto (which in turn has been divided into five mostly inland modern counties. The creation of De Soto left Manatee as modern Manatee and Sarasota. Sarasota was split off in 1921.

Sumter since its formation in 1860. Sumter managed to continually increase in population at a slow rate. In 1960 it had less than 12,000 persons. In recent times the population has blossomed with the creation of The Villages. Sumter has a median age of 62.7, the oldest in the country.

Volusia since its formation in 1860. It was created with roughly its modern border. Daytona Beach is is most well known city, but Deltona is the largest city, and DeLand is the county seat.

Polk since its formation in 1870. Between Tampa and Orlando it is not hugely changed since its creation. It is possible that it lost population in 1880, as it only gained 12 people, while there were numerous boundary changes.

DeSoto since its formation in 1890. The loss in 1930 was due to creation of Charlotte, Glades, Hardee, and Highlands. It was not until 2000 that DeSoto surpassed its 1930 population (for the 5-county area). Arguably, the DeSoto streak is based on its retention of the county name, though Charlotte, Glades, and Hardee all have had down years since their separation.

Lee since its formation in 1890. At the time it included modern Collier and Hendry, which were split off in 1923. Lee County was formed from Monroe County, which as now included Key West and a huge chunk of the mainland. At the time of formation of Lee (including modern Collier and Hendry), it contained 7% of the total population, with Key West and the remainder of the Florida Keys 93%. Lee had 23,000 people in 1950. It now has over 700,000. Fort Myers is the county seat, though Cape Coral is the largest city by far.

Pasco since its formation in 1890. Pasco had about 20,000 persons in 1950. Spillover from Tampa and St.Petersburg have increased the population to about half a million. Pasco was formed as a county fourteen days after its namesake, Sam Pasco, was elected as US Senator. It is possibly the only county with a name that is associated with Prince Edward Island.

Palm Beach since its formation in 1910. 2000 to 2010 was the first decade it grew less than 30% since its creation.

St. Lucie since its formation in 1910. The loss in 1930 was due to the creation of Indian River and Martin.

Many counties were created in the early part of the 20th Century which have grown ever since.

Since formation in 1920:

Bay
Broward
Okaloosa
Seminole

Since formation in 1930:

Collier
Gulf
Hendry
Highlands
Indian River
Martin
Sarasota

There are three counties that have experienced more than a century of growth since their last loss.

(Miami-)Dade since 1870. Dade county was first formed in 1836, and also included modern Palm Beach and Broward counties. In 1840 it had a population of 446, but had declined to 159 in 1850, before being deorganized in 1851. By 1860 it only had 83 persons, and in 1870 it had 85. In 1866 its area had been expanded northward. Dating the last loss to 1870 assumes that at least three persons were in the added area. The county was reorganized in 1872, and by 1880 had 257 persons. Alternatively, if the 2nd organization date is used, (Miami-)Dade has increased every decade since its formation in 1880.

Lake since 1900. Lake was created in 1887, but had a decline from 1890 to 1900 in its first full decade of existence.

Orange since 1900. Orange was originally created in 1824 as Mosquito and included a vast area on the Atlantic Coast. The territorial legislature passed a bill changing the name to Leigh Read, but the governor did not sign the bill. Eventually the county was renamed Orange. By 1890 it had been reduced to modern Orange and Seminole, but it lost population between 1890 and 1900, prior to Seminole being split off.

Florida Losers

Florida has only had three county losses since 1970. Gadsden lost between 1970 and 1980, and Monroe and Pinellas lost between 2000 and 2010. Both may be filled up.

Monroe since 2000. Looking at annual census estimates, there was a drop-off from about 2005 to 2008, a bit before the recession hit. The trigger may have been Hurricane Wilma in 2005. Part-time residents can wait for the insurance money, while full-time residents need a place to stay. Service workers may have been priced out of the market. The last previous decline was from 1930 to 1940 when Monroe lost about 1/3 of its population. The 1935 Hurricane cost about 600 lives, and wiped out about 40 miles of railroad track.

Pinellas since 2000. Pinellas had increased every decade since its formation in 1920. Like in Monroe, most of the decline occurred between 2005 and 2008.

For the current decade, 20 counties are estimated to have lost population. Most are in the north, and have previously experienced population losses, albeit in the mid-20th Century. Three exceptions are Hardee, Hendry, and Okeechobee in the inland south. DeSoto and Highlands had been negative earlier in the decade, but have since rebounded.

Of 42 counties that have experienced a population loss in their history, 18 are down this decade. Almost all are in the north, except for Hardee and Okeechobee in the inland south. Particularly hard hit are counties on the northern state line adjacent to Alabama and Georgia. I suspect there is a residual effect from the recession. Retirements from the North may have been delayed or perhaps curtailed, as persons who might have retired in Florida, stayed in Ohio or Michigan.

Of 25 counties that have never experienced a population loss since their formation, only two are down for this decade.

Hendry has not lost population since its formation in 1930. This may simply be because it only had a few 1000 residents in its remote location adjacent to the Everglades.

Putnam has not lost population since its formation in 1850. It is Florida's poorest county, and it has had a lumber mill shut down, and another have its force reduced. It has a large coal-burning power plant that is threatened with closure.
Logged
jimrtex
Atlas Icon
*****
Posts: 11,828
Marshall Islands


Show only this user's posts in this thread
« Reply #48 on: October 22, 2016, 06:29:51 PM »
« Edited: October 26, 2016, 12:25:35 PM by jimrtex »

Texas acceded to the Union in 1845, becoming the 28th State. There were 78 counties for the 1850 Census, 9 of which have gained ever since. There are another seven counties that have grown since their formation (they got to Texas as soon as they could). Five counties had losses, but have since had a century or more of growth.

Texas Gainers

Nine counties have gained every decade since the first census in 1850

Bexar since 1850. San Antonio is the county seat.

Comal since 1850. New Braunfels is the county seat. Comal had 4 decades of under 10% growth before 1940, but has since become part of suburban San Antonio.

Dallas since 1850. Dallas is the county seat. 2010 marked the slowest growth ever for the county that is beginning to be filled up, except for the southern part of the county.

Galveston since 1850. Galveston is the county seat, League City is the largest city. Galveston survived the 1900 Hurricane, because it happened so early in the decade, and small growth on the mainland, offset a decline in the city of Galveston. The city has been declining in population since 1960, and particularly so after Ike in 2008, but this has been compensated by growth on the mainland, particularly in the Houston suburbs south of NASA. In 1950, the city had 59% of the county population. By 2010, this had declined to 16%.

Harris since 1850. Houston is the county seat. The slowest growth was 17% in the 1980s during the oil bust.

Nueces since 1850. Corpus Christi is the county seat. The county has had under 10% growth for several recent decades.

Smith since 1850. Tyler is the county seat.

Travis since 1850. Austin is the county seat, state capital, and location of the University of Texas.

Victoria since 1850. Victoria is the county seat.

Seven counties have gained every decade since their first census after formation (after 1850)

Hidalgo since formation in 1860. Edinburg is the county seat. McAllen is the largest city. Hidalgo had 0.3% growth between 1960 and 1970, but has had 30%+ growth in the decades since.

Kerr since formation in 1860. Kerrville is the county seat. Kerr is in the Hill Country, and may benefit from being on I-10.

Starr since formation in 1860. The loss in 1920 was due to the creation of Brooks and Jim Hogg. The county seat is Rio Grande City. Starr is at the western end of the Lower Rio Grande Valley.

Webb since formation in 1860. Laredo is the county seat and contains 94% of the county population.

Lubbock since formation in 1880. Lubbock is the county seat and location of Texas Tech University.

Randall since formation in 1880. Canyon is the county seat and location of West Texas A&M University, but Amarillo is now the largest city. Amarillo was founded in southern Potter County, but its growth has been strongly to the south into Randall County. In 1940, Potter had about eight times the population of Randall. At that time, only 3.2% of the Amarillo population had lapped into Randall. By 2010 Randall had caught Potter, and has since surpassed it. In 2010, 44.7% of Amarillo was in Randall.

In the 1960s, Amarillo AFB closed, and Amarillo lost 7.9% of its population. But the Potter portion of Amarillo lost 26.6% of its population, while the Randall portion increased by 61.5%. The Potter portion of the city has yet to reach its 1960 population, while the Randall portion has quadrupled. US-66 used to loop through Amarillo, going to the north of downtown, and then running north/south through downtown and then looping out to the west. I-40 bends slightly to the north, but is close to county line. The route of I-40 cut off the loop into downtown, but is now close to population median of the city.

Val Verde since formation in 1890. The county seat is Del Rio. Val Verde (Green Valley) is not named for its location, but rather for the Civil War battle in New Mexico. Del Rio was originally San Felipe Del Rio but shortened by the post office to Del Rio to avoid confusion with San Felipe de Austin which was the center of the Austin Colony (founding site of Anglo Texas).

Four counties have gained for at least ten decades, but have a loss prior to that.

Angelina since 1870. The county seat is Lufkin. Angelina lost population from 1860 to 1870.

Tarrant since 1870. The county seat is Fort Worth. Tarrant lost population from 1860 to 1870 as a result of the Civil War. The railroad reached Fort Worth in 1876, resulting in Fort Worth becoming a major livestock center.

Liberty since 1890. The county seat is Liberty. Liberty lost population from 1880 to 1890. The county northeast of Houston is suburban/exurban, and is somewhat isolated being east of the San Jacincto River and bisected by the Trinity River. Development of the Grand Parkway, I-69, and the Crosby Freeway may spur growth.

Jasper since 1890. Jasper is north of Beaumont in Deep East Texas. Jasper lost population from 1880 to 1890. It is down for the current decade.

Two counties had losses in after more than a century of gains.

San Patricio had gained since 1870, but lost in 2010. San Patricio is across Corpus Christi Harbor from Corpus Christi. This somewhat isolates the county, and it has developed more of an industrial and manufacturing economy, rather than suburban residential. Many of the Gulf of Mexico oil production platforms are manufactured here.

Pecos had gained since its formation in 1880, but lost in 2010. The losses in 1890 and 1910 were due to creation of Reeves and Terrell, respectively. Fort Stockton is the county seat. The city of Pecos is the county seat of neighboring county of Reeves. The economy of Pecos is highly tied to oil industry, particularly the Yates Field discovered in 1929.
Logged
jimrtex
Atlas Icon
*****
Posts: 11,828
Marshall Islands


Show only this user's posts in this thread
« Reply #49 on: October 26, 2016, 12:28:50 PM »

Texas Losers

In the 1930s, about half of Texas counties lost population. This was followed by three decades of about 60% of the counties losing population. In the 1970s, only about 20% of counties (50) lost population, which served a checkpoint on long-term losers. In the 1990s, and 2000s, about 30% of counties lost population.

13 Counties Have Had Losing Streaks Since 1930

These counties are generally in the area between Wichita Falls, Abilene, and Lubbock.

Borden since 1930. Borden is between Lubbock, Midland, and Abilene. Borden is named for Gail Borden, the inventor of condensed milk, who was an early newspaper publisher and surveyor in Texas. The county seat of Borden is Gail. Borden reached its peak population of 1,505 in 1930. It is slightly up for the current decade, with the +7 representing a 1.1% increase.

Collingsworth since 1930. Collingsworth is in the southeastern corner of the Panhandle. Named for James Collinsworth, the first Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of the Republic, the extraneous 'g' is the result of a clerical error in the legislation creating the county. Collingsworth reached a peak population of 14,465 in 1930, and has lost 79% since then. The land had been taken up in family farms and ranches, just as the Dustbowl hit. The county lost about 1/3 of its farms in the next decade.

Cottle since 1930. Cottle is just south of the southeastern of the panhandle. It has lost 84% of its population since 1930. Like Collingsworth, it had just reached its peak, when the Dustbowl hit. Coupled with farm mechanism, and development of irrigated farming above the Caprock over the Ogallala Aquifer, has resulted in reversion to grazing. 79% of the current population lives in the county seat of Paducah, leaving just 400 or so persons living in the country.

Fisher since 1930. Fisher is northwest of Abilene. Fisher has lost 71% of its population in 1930.

Foard since 1930. Foard is west of Wichita Falls. Since 1930 it has lost 79% of its population, with 85% now residing in the county seat of Crowell. Foard is one of the last Democratic holdouts in rural Texas, rarely having a Republican primary, and first giving a majority to a Republican gubernatorial candidate in 2014.

Hall since 1930. Hall is in the southeastern Panhandle. Hall has lost 80% of its population since 1930, including Bob Wills, who moved to Fort Worth in 1929.

Hardeman since 1930. Hardeman, pronounced with three syllables, is south of the Red River, just east of the 100th Parallel that forms the eastern border of the Panhandle. The county seat of Quanah is named for Quanah Parker.

Haskell since 1930. Haskell is north of Abilene and southwest of Wichita Falls. It is the home county of Rick Perry.

Kent since 1930. Kent is east south east of Lubbock. The county seat is Jayton, population 534, which wrested the seat away from Clairemont that had fewer persons.

Knox since 1930. Knox is west southwest of Wichita Falls. The estimated population is up this decade.

Lynn since 1930. Lynn is south of Lubbock. Lynn is the westernmost of the long time losers, and the only one above the Caprock. It has only lost 52% of its population. From the county seat of Tahoka you can sense the Caprock because the sky on the horizon doesn't dissolve into a haze. Driving down from Tahoka to Post, one Friday night, there was a caravan forming to follow the team buses up to play Tahoka. I remembered the lyrics from 'One Tin Soldier'.

Motley since 1930. Matador the county seat is between Floydada, Paducah, Memphis, and Spur. Mtley is named for Junius William Mottley, a signer of the Declaration of Independence, one of the 't's was dropped by the legislature. Motley has 82% of its population since 1930.

Throckmorton since 1930. Throkmorton is between Abilene and Wichita Falls. It is the most eastern of the counties that have lost since the 1930s.

Two Counties Have Lost Since 1940 or 1950

Baylor since 1940. Baylor is southwest of Wichita.

Terrell since 1950. Terrell is where the Rio Grande turns southeast after rounding the Big Bend. Terrell has been losing population since I-10 bypassed US 90 as the route westward from San Antonio, and rail crews stopped being overnighted in Sanderson. Sanderson, the county seat has 85% of the county population (837 of 984).

Seven Counties Have Lost Population Since 1960

Briscoe since 1960. Briscoe is in the Panhandle southeast of Amarillo. Briscoe eaked out a 1.4% gain in the 1950s, to break a streak beginning in 1930.

Cochran since 1960. Cochran is on the New Mexico border west of Lubbock. Not organized until 1924, it tripled in population between 1930 and 1960, but has declined by about half since then.

Crosby since 1960. Crosby is east of Lubbock. The population was steady from 1930 to 1960 before beginning to decline.

Floyd since 1960. Floyd is northeast of Lubbock. The population was steady from 1930 to 1960 before beginning to decline.

Gray since 1960. Gray is in the eastern Panhandle. Pampa is the county seat and largest city in the eastern Panhandle. A center for natural gas production for the Hugoton Panhandle field, Pampa has helped maintain the population of Gray. Gray is the largest of the longtime losers, and is up for this decade.

Refugio since 1960. Refugio is between Victoria and Corpus Christi. The 'g' is pronounced as an 'r' (ri,fyoor,ee,oh). Much of the O'Connor ranch is in Refugio and it is the location of the Tom O'Connor oil field (discovered in 1934).

Upton since 1960. Oil is very big in the county (in November 2015 it was 5th largest producer in Texas) and the population is (was?) up for the decade.


Logged
Pages: 1 [2] 3  
« previous next »
Jump to:  


Login with username, password and session length

Terms of Service - DMCA Agent and Policy - Privacy Policy and Cookies

Powered by SMF 1.1.21 | SMF © 2015, Simple Machines

Page created in 0.087 seconds with 12 queries.