Illinios Population Growth Lags
12,831,970 in the middle of 2006 versus 12,765,427 for the 2000 census.
An increase of 66,543 people.
A growth rate of just a tiny bit over one-half of one percent.
But the nation as a whole grew almost twice as fast--one percent (0.98%).
Still the fifth largest state.
Only one state larger—New York—shrunk in population.
The larger northern states, like Illinois, were pretty stagnant.
All neighboring states grew more than Illinois (+0.52%), except Wisconsin, which tied.
- Indiana +0.77
- Iowa +0.57
- Missouri +0.75
- Kentucky +0.79
And, what happened in McHenry County, one of the growth tips of Illinois?
Seventeen municipalities grew faster than the state average. Six grew less.
The McHenry County details are on McHenry County Blog.
You get to speculate on what happened to Illinois from 2000 to mid-2006 in the comments section below.
5 comments:
Kendall remains the 2nd fastest growing county in the US by percentage from 2000-2006. Joliet is the largest numeric gainer among IL cities, as Will is the largest numeric gainer among IL counties. Cook County was the 3rd biggest numeric loser in the US behind Orleans parish(NO) and Wayne county (Detroit). With IL's stagnant growth, it's telling me that there's a lot of shifting around in IL that is causing growth spurts in some areas and decline in others.
It should be noted (for what it may be worth) that Census Bureau estimates for Chicago made during the 1990s claimed continual population declines. However, when the actual Census was taken in 2000 (which was an actual count instead of an estimate), chicago's population had actually increased during the past decade. There is no guarantee as to the accuracy of the Census esitmates.
With the gentrification of Chicago and the removal of the big housing projects, and the emerging tendency of new foreign immigrants to completely bypass Chicago for the suburbs, I tend to believe the trend, if not the spot-on accuracy, of the Census estimates.
If Chicago wanted to do a special census to refute the trend, there is a process to do so. The suburbs of Chicago have more special censuses than any other region of the US - and reap millions of $ in population-based fund distributions for their efforts.
We know why this is happening, but most of us somehow think this is normal and will change, and others deny that it is happening and hope it will change.
This is not good news. No city shrinks its way to health. As our nation grows, other cities replace Chicago as vital political and economic centers.
Chicago has been allowed to stagnate as it's citizens lost their drive for more. As unions guaranteed comfort, and governments guaranteed comfort, folks became satisfied. Today we see concern as the city's economics starts to decline slowly, but instead of being motivated to reach out and compete, Chicago's decision makers are more focused on refereeing competing interest groups over this shrinking pie.
Chicago doesn't want to work anymore. It wants to relax. It wants to become a place where people play and vacation, where they have convetions and enjoy culture. Chicago has fooled itself into thinking that it doesn't have to be a city of big shoulders, stock yards, smoke stacks, and punch clocks. So, as these city builders left, nothing really replaced them.
After 1982, you can really see how our economy has been sliding. While there have been a few years of growth during the 1990s, the Age of Industrialism ended 30 years ago, and we still see abandoned industrial sites as though someone believes they will magically reappear.
Chicago is not becoming a global city in a global economy. What we are seeing instead is the regionalization of Chicago. As the Midwest stagnates, Chicago stagnates. This doesn't happen to national cities or global cities - it happens to regional cities, which is what Chicago has been becoming.
You cannot have a robust city with a Soviet-era political system. Chicago is passing Russia as having the longest run as a single party government. Like the old Soviet Union, Chicagoans are reelecting dying politicians, sons of politicians, and lack any political competition for social issues. You cannot expect fresh water from empty bottles. Without political competition, Chicago will not see renewal that is needed for the 21st Century.
So go ahead a squabble over the statistics. Claim it isn't happening. But as someone who has lived their lives in Chicago and has traveled extensively around the world and witnessed real city growth in other lands, Chicago is dying. Open your eyes.
You can't fund a child's education when you fund payroll bloat and unwarranted pensions for a wasteful and worthless education bureaucracy.
You can't fix roads when you churn bonds for underwriting fees and other pork.
You can't build new CTA track or new stations when all the money is going to Todd's piggish relatives and friends.
You can't build clinics for the poor when you are funding fat salaries for worthless bureaucrats who write up unnecessary insurance schemes that heal and treat no one.
The problem is as plain as day, and it is institutionalized corruption that both parties at every level of government are in on.
I suppose wrought iron light posts and masonry planters, along with the glitzy facade of Olympian waste can paper things over, but the truly productive will be long gone.
Do the math, would you stay here if you didn't have to?
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