America's fastest-dying cities

[franksolich]

http://promo.realestate.yahoo.com/americas-fastest-dying-cities.html

Another rough decade for the Rust Belt.

The turmoil of the mortgage market granted a temporary reprieve from hearing about the woes of America's Rust Belt. That doesn't mean things are better. Despite a decade of national prosperity, the former manufacturing backbone of the U.S. is in rougher shape than ever, still searching for some way to replace its long-stilled smokestacks.

Where's it worst? Ohio, according to our analysis, which racked up four of the 10 cities on our list: Youngstown, Canton, Dayton and Cleveland. The runner-up is Michigan, with two cities--Detroit and Flint--making the ranking.

These, and four other metropolitan statistical areas, as defined by the U.S. Census Bureau, face fleeing populations, painful waves of unemployment and barely growing economies. By our measure, they've struggled the worst of any areas in the nation in the 21st century. And they face even bleaker futures.

These are all places that have had generations and generations of big city political machines running them, with an occasional Republican mayor as a cosmetic "reform," if even that.

(01) Canton, Ohio
(02) Youngstown, Ohio
(03) Flint, Michigan
(04) Scranton, Pennsylvania
(05) Dayton, Ohio
(06) Cleveland, Ohio
(07) Springfield, Massachusetts
(08) Buffalo, New York
(09) Detroit, Michigan
(10) Charleston, West Virginia

[Jim]

Ta ta dead cities....

You had your chance same as everywhere and you blew it.

[Wretched Excess]

I read that, too, and my first thought (well, perhaps my second or third, anyway) was that they deliberately picked
numerous cities in ohio, michigan, and pennsylvania because they are battleground states, and the MSM wants to jack
the "gloom and doom" factor up just as high as they possibly can.

dying cities would want change, after all.  any kind of change at all, in fact, since anything is preferable to death.

[jtyangel]

It's pretty well accurate. Most of the cities listed are big union towns too ftr.

[Jim]

It's pretty well accurate. Most of the cities listed are big union towns too ftr.

and we know how unions strangle the golden goose.

[Toastedturningtidelegs]

http://promo.realestate.yahoo.com/americas-fastest-dying-cities.html

Another rough decade for the Rust Belt.

The turmoil of the mortgage market granted a temporary reprieve from hearing about the woes of America's Rust Belt. That doesn't mean things are better. Despite a decade of national prosperity, the former manufacturing backbone of the U.S. is in rougher shape than ever, still searching for some way to replace its long-stilled smokestacks.

Where's it worst? Ohio, according to our analysis, which racked up four of the 10 cities on our list: Youngstown, Canton, Dayton and Cleveland. The runner-up is Michigan, with two cities--Detroit and Flint--making the ranking.

These, and four other metropolitan statistical areas, as defined by the U.S. Census Bureau, face fleeing populations, painful waves of unemployment and barely growing economies. By our measure, they've struggled the worst of any areas in the nation in the 21st century. And they face even bleaker futures.

These are all places that have had generations and generations of big city political machines running them, with an occasional Republican mayor as a cosmetic "reform," if even that.

(01) Canton, Ohio
(02) Youngstown, Ohio
(03) Flint, Michigan
(04) Scranton, Pennsylvania
(05) Dayton, Ohio
(06) Cleveland, Ohio
(07) Springfield, Massachusetts
(08) Buffalo, New York
(09) Detroit, Michigan
(10) Charleston, West Virginia

HEY! Why in the hell is Detroit #9? Geez! we can't even fail in a spectacular way!

[debk]

I was just up in Cuyahoga Falls 2 weeks ago to visit my sister. It's right next to Akron and 25 minutes to Cleveland's airport.

They really are in a world of hurt up there. A friend of hers owns a ReMax franchise, and their housing market is terrible.

The tire companies have had a huge affect in the area.

Everyone I met up there is still a diehard Democrat too. Felt like I had a big red R on my forehead the whole time!

[Donpeyote]

 I guess Fresno is not diying ,what Ca cities are on list ?

[franksolich]

I guess Fresno is not diying ,what Ca cities are on list ?

The list doesn't go past 10, but I suspect if there were a top 25, it'd include San Francisco and Lost Angeles, Don, sir.

[Chris_]

Depends on your definition of a "dying city", I guess.

Saw a report a couple of days ago, that said that in Los Angeles County, 40% of all business conducted is done on a cash basis. 9.some odd million people in Los Angeles County speak english, while 30.some odd million speak SPANISH.

I'd almost consider anything south of Monterey Bay in PRK to be occupied territory these days.

[Donpeyote]

I guess Fresno is not dying ,what Ca cities are on list ?

The list doesn't go past 10, but I suspect if there were a top 25, it'd include San Francisco and Lost Angeles, Don, sir.

LA's  Illegal population has increased by 50.000 over lat couple of years so that off sets any Flight by disgruntled angelenos...

[franksolich]

Depends on your definition of a "dying city", I guess.

Agreed, and I should have made that clearer when responding to Don here.

This survey is based upon population only.

But cities can die for reasons other than loss of population.

I consider someplace "dying" when the quality of life tumbles; when crime and squalor run rampant--things such as average income, average level of education, safety, social stability, &c., &c., &c.

By those standards, San Francisco and Lost Angeles (and Boston and Cleveland and Chicago and Seattle and Milwaukee and Memphis and New Orleans and &c., &c., &c.), have a serious case of gangrene.

I'm not kidding when I frankly suggest it would be good for America if Boston and San Francisco were to be sucked under the ocean.

[DixieBelle]

if it's based on population, then Detroit should have been listed as well as Memphis. People are fleeing both.

[Donpeyote]

 almost Every American city with Populations over 100.000 have a Serious Gang Problem (Especially in the West and Pacific North West (Except Redding Ca.)

[Chris_]

I was just up in Cuyahoga Falls 2 weeks ago to visit my sister. It's right next to Akron and 25 minutes to Cleveland's airport.

They really are in a world of hurt up there. A friend of hers owns a ReMax franchise, and their housing market is terrible.

The tire companies have had a huge affect in the area.

Everyone I met up there is still a diehard Democrat too. Felt like I had a big red R on my forehead the whole time!

And it is just amazing how the Dem politicians up there are able to convince everyone it is Bush's fault instead of their own.

[debk]

I was just up in Cuyahoga Falls 2 weeks ago to visit my sister. It's right next to Akron and 25 minutes to Cleveland's airport.

They really are in a world of hurt up there. A friend of hers owns a ReMax franchise, and their housing market is terrible.

The tire companies have had a huge affect in the area.

Everyone I met up there is still a diehard Democrat too. Felt like I had a big red R on my forehead the whole time!

And it is just amazing how the Dem politicians up there are able to convince everyone it is Bush's fault instead of their own.

Yep.

This is a "new" family for me. My sister found me on the internet in late March '07. We were 54 at the time. She knew about me, I didn't know about her.

We agreed to just not discuss politics, since we are building our relationship.....though some discussion does, of course, occur.

On the other hand, her olderst daughter( she will be 33 in a few weeks) was a political science major in college and we get in discussions ....away from everyone else.....all the time. We have each been able to state our views, while respecting the other's. I have to say though, it's amazing how much we agree on, including we both think Hillary is frightening in her quest for power. She did say that if somehow Hillary gets the nomination, she will vote for McCain. She also wants drilling done in this country and stopping the entry of illegals.

I think it's hard for Dems of a certain age, who have been Dems their whole lives.....to see that their party is not who it used to be. That they will vote Democrat regardless of who runs.

It amazes me that my sister continues to "back" them and work for the party. She makes well into 6 figures for a huge American corporation as an engineer. And she will fully admit that the "welfare state" was a creation of the Democrats and continues because of them.

I just think 

[DumbAss Tanker]

I read that, too, and my first thought (well, perhaps my second or third, anyway) was that they deliberately picked
numerous cities in ohio, michigan, and pennsylvania because they are battleground states, and the MSM wants to jack
the "gloom and doom" factor up just as high as they possibly can.

dying cities would want change, after all.  any kind of change at all, in fact, since anything is preferable to death.

The existing power structures (political, pulpit and press in an unholy trinity of collusion) in them sure don't, and they nourish the populace on the lie that their problems are all someone else's fault, while the better inhabitants who have the wherewithal to do so flee for saner pastures. 

[Lauri]

Depends on your definition of a "dying city", I guess.

Agreed, and I should have made that clearer when responding to Don here.

This survey is based upon population only.

But cities can die for reasons other than loss of population.

I consider someplace "dying" when the quality of life tumbles; when crime and squalor run rampant--things such as average income, average level of education, safety, social stability, &c., &c., &c.

By those standards, San Francisco and Lost Angeles (and Boston and Cleveland and Chicago and Seattle and Milwaukee and Memphis and New Orleans and &c., &c., &c.), have a serious case of gangrene.

I'm not kidding when I frankly suggest it would be good for America if Boston and San Francisco were to be sucked under the ocean.

Seattle is still purple... battling to turn red as we speak, so, dont count us out just yet!  at least 50% of the people are conservative here