Dwindling population and disappearing jobs is the fate that awaits much of rural America

senseamp

Lifer
Feb 5, 2006
35,787
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https://www.marketwatch.com/story/m...st-keep-dwindling-2019-05-07?siteid=rss&rss=1
Metropolitan areas consist of those counties with central cities of at least 50,000, along with the surrounding counties that are economically dependent on them. They make up 36% of all counties. Between 2008, the cusp of the Great Recession, and 2017, they enjoyed nearly 99% of all job and population growth.
What remained of job and population growth was divided among the 21% of counties that are called micropolitan, which have midsize cities of between 10,000 and 50,000 residents, and the remaining 42% of counties that are rural.
Nationally, 71% of all metropolitan counties grew between 2008 and 2017, but more than half of the micropolitan and rural counties did not grow or shrank in population.
Isn't it hilarious that rural areas are the most anti-immigrant? They are going to keep losing population until essential utilities like water treatment and businesses like hospitals become un-economical and then they are going to crash even harder.
 
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trenchfoot

Lifer
Aug 5, 2000
14,898
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Ah yes, but the electoral college has a way of "evening things out" like it did in 2016. I'm wondering what it will take numbers-wise to overcome that advantage.

Trump is still seething over the fact that ~3 million more folks voted for Hillary than they voted for him. So much for losing that popularity contest he's fixated on. I'm sure that's got to be on his mind going into 2020......if he even makes it that far.
 

Moonbeam

Elite Member
Nov 24, 1999
73,231
6,338
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That kind of hilarious, in my opinion, can happen only as the self comforting face of rage. As some one who feels that a closeness to nature is vital for the expression of full human empathy and experience, I see these things a tragic. In my opinion one of the highest priorities of socialist liberalism should be to save rural life in a way that it can be lived with great security. It is fear and ignorance, not rural life, that makes people conservative, and that horrible mental state or the continuence of it should be wished on nobody.
 

Indus

Lifer
May 11, 2002
11,715
8,177
136
If this is to be believed.. Nearly 99 percent of all population growth between 2008 and 2017 occurred in metropolitan counties or in counties directly adjacent to them.

But what exactly is the definition of a metropolitan county? Population of 50000 or 5000? If it's 5000, the trends aren't alarming. If it's 50000, then maybe it is.
 

Jhhnn

IN MEMORIAM
Nov 11, 1999
62,365
14,681
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Good old Free Market Jerb Creator activity. Y'all got dumped by the side of the road. Vote GOP for more of the same. You'll be living like Little House on the Prairie before you know it.One of our resident right ravers could have written this comment in the linked piece-

Do you really think it's the president's job to see that AI gets to every little farm community? Our president has created a booming free market economy. It's up to locals like yourself to see the opportunities and make something of them. Get off your duff and reach for the brass ring. In spite of what Bernie tells you, only you can take care of yourself adequately.

Hail Trump, fools. He alone can fix it.
 
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Indus

Lifer
May 11, 2002
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But Jhhnn that's what they want.. little house on the prairie far away from all the brownies.
 

Jhhnn

IN MEMORIAM
Nov 11, 1999
62,365
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But Jhhnn that's what they want.. little house on the prairie far away from all the brownies.

Not really. They've just been taught to hate de big gubmint & all the things that help pump money into rural & small town America. SS. Medicare. Medicaid. SNAP. EITC. Grants for civic improvements. Flood control. Irrigation projects. Farm subsidies. Help with natural disasters. They're so busy screaming "Fuck You, Libtards!" that they lost track of who's fucking them.
 

1prophet

Diamond Member
Aug 17, 2005
5,313
534
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How about some solutions instead of elitist chest thumping superiority like the Pharisees of old by those in metropolitan areas like cities, and dumping immigrants without fixing the underlying problems isn't an answer.

Here is two, feel free to add more, it was done before by FDR, but that was when Democrats cared about the whole country not just their own in their big city, coastal echo chambers, which in turn allowed the republicans you all hate so much to take advantage of the situation.

There are plenty of people who left for cities that would have no problem living in rural areas and build businesses if certain amenities and necessary infrastructure was available.

https://www.nytimes.com/2019/04/23/opinion/rural-america-cities.html

Dejah
Williamsburg, VAApril 24
Times Pick
If Rural America had ACTUAL BROADBAND, not this cow manure "satellite" narrowband nonsense, there would be opportunity in rural America. The lack of common carrier status for Internet Service Providers and of actual broadband holds back a vast swath of America totaling some 75M Americans (it used to be 125M, but many fled in the last 20 years). Unlike urban Americans who can start their own businesses, Rural Americans are hamstrung by lack of Broadband (and opportunity). Narrowband Internet: * Means you cannot attend college classes online * You cannot watch YouTube video * No Netflix * No streaming TV of any kind * The ability to do school/political research is very limited * You cannot homeschool effectively * Many public LIBRARIES in rural areas lack Internet Backbone, which means even the library doesn't have real Broadband. For example, Surry Co, VA, Pop 6500, just 12 miles from me, across the James River lacks real Broadband. The public library there does (did?) not have Internet backbone (at least up to a few years ago). It is THIRTY miles from a major metro area of 1.7M people, but it might as well be the Dark Ages. Satellite, the best solution costs 4x as much for 1/10th the download speed as cable. Upload speeds are vastly slower. You also have 30x the latency, which causes issues in anything time sensitive. Rural Americans are not stupid, they lack investment.

Stephen Chernicoff
Berkeley, CaliforniaApril 24
Times Pick
If Democrats want to make inroads in “red” America, here’s a platform for them to run on: build the nation’s small cities. Invest in “micropolitan” development, and induce private industry to do the same. It’s more realistic and more effective than “bring back coal.” Instead of heading for New York and Washington, why shouldn’t an outfit like Amazon locate in places like Bowling Green, Kentucky, and St. Cloud, Minnesota? Those places lack the infrastructure to support an Amazon-scale operation? Build it! Jeff Bezos can afford to invest in his own infrastructure, and create local jobs in the process. A program like this might actually attract votes and begin loosening the Republican hold on so-called “red” states.
 

brycejones

Lifer
Oct 18, 2005
27,579
26,670
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How about some solutions instead of elitist chest thumping superiority like the Pharisees of old by those in metropolitan areas like cities, and dumping immigrants without fixing the underlying problems isn't an answer.

Here is two, feel free to add more, it was done before by FDR, but that was when Democrats cared about the whole country not just their own in their big city, coastal echo chambers, which in turn allowed the republicans you all hate so much to take advantage of the situation.

There are plenty of people who left for cities that would have no problem living in rural areas and build businesses if certain amenities and necessary infrastructure was available.

https://www.nytimes.com/2019/04/23/opinion/rural-america-cities.html

Is there any problem in America you somehow don't blame on the Democrats?
 
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MagnusTheBrewer

IN MEMORIAM
Jun 19, 2004
24,122
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In my neck of the woods, trained farm workers make $23 an hour. There is a shortage of workers even at those wages.
 

IronWing

No Lifer
Jul 20, 2001
70,165
28,814
136
If there are no jobs where you live, move. It's the American way. No one owes people a small town lifestyle.
 

Jhhnn

IN MEMORIAM
Nov 11, 1999
62,365
14,681
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If there are no jobs where you live, move. It's the American way. No one owes people a small town lifestyle.

That's often much easier said than done. There's no reason other than Republicans that we can't build better lives for all Americans no matter where we live. Just because the Jerb Creators dumped 'em doesn't mean the rest of us should. We're all in this together.
 

IronWing

No Lifer
Jul 20, 2001
70,165
28,814
136
That's often much easier said than done. There's no reason other than Republicans that we can't build better lives for all Americans no matter where we live. Just because the Jerb Creators dumped 'em doesn't mean the rest of us should. We're all in this together.
Yes we are. And if the reason that a town was built in the first place is gone, there is no reason to continue to have a town there. Keeping towns on life support indefinitely serves no one.
 

Jhhnn

IN MEMORIAM
Nov 11, 1999
62,365
14,681
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Yes we are. And if the reason that a town was built in the first place is gone, there is no reason to continue to have a town there. Keeping towns on life support indefinitely serves no one.

Towns recreate themselves sometimes. Colorado mountain towns were created because of mining but they make their livings in different ways today. The ones that don't will fade away over time. Some of them will always exist unless there's no farming nearby which seems unlikely. They need hospitals, schools & the rest of it just like all of us.
 

MagnusTheBrewer

IN MEMORIAM
Jun 19, 2004
24,122
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Which is actually a metropolitan area of 98K people. It doesn't fit the definition of rural or small town set out in the OP's article.
I said area. There are many small towns in the AREA. I live in Northwood about 40 miles away which has about 5000 people and is surrounded by farms. There are 4 or 5 other small towns in the area.
 

dawp

Lifer
Jul 2, 2005
11,347
2,709
136
I said area. There are many small towns in the AREA. I live in Northwood about 40 miles away which has about 5000 people and is surrounded by farms. There are 4 or 5 other small towns in the area.
that was kind of the point of the article, that population center of 50k or more and their surrounding counties have growth while population centers of less then 50k and their surrounding counties are not growing or are in fact shrinking.

and in your case, being close, 40 miles, you would get the growth from grand forks