Phila. population decline slowing
Many large U.S. cities are now growing more quickly than the rest of the nation, data show.
WASHINGTON - Reversing a decade-long trend, many of the largest U.S. cities are now growing more quickly than the rest of the nation, yet another sign of an economic crisis that is making it harder for people to move.
Census data released yesterday highlight a city resurgence in coastal regions and areas of the Midwest and Northeast, due to a housing crunch, recession, and higher gas prices that have slowed migration to far-flung suburbs and residential hotspots in the South and West.
The 2008 population figures show that New York made gains from higher births, while Philadelphia stanched population losses from earlier in the decade.
Also showing rebounds were industrial centers in Minneapolis and St. Paul, Minn.; Columbus, Ohio; and Lincoln, Neb., with economies focused on finance, health care, information technology, or education.
Detroit, with its ailing auto industry, declined.
Los Angeles, San Francisco, Seattle and Portland, Ore., all on the West Coast, registered growth, boosted partly by immigrants who moved into and stayed in gateway cities.
In contrast, former hotspot areas in Nevada and Arizona had significant slowdowns.
"Cities are showing a continued vitality as hubs of activity even as some suburban and exurban areas go through tough times," said William H. Frey, a demographer at the Brookings Institution. "It emphasizes the buoyancy of large established cities with diverse economies and populations."
Frey and other demographers said many of the population shifts could be longer-lasting. While the Sunbelt region is still growing, they noted, it is unlikely to return to the torrid growth rates of earlier in this decade.
President Obama has pledged to upgrade mass transit and push energy conservation, high-speed rail, and other urban priorities. That could create shifts in residential patterns and city life, especially for younger couples and small families.
"Suburban sprawl may not be dead, but it's certainly on hiatus," said Mark Mather, associate vice president of the nonprofit Population Reference Bureau.
Robert E. Lang, co-director of the Metropolitan Institute at Virginia Tech, predicted that upscale inner suburbs with developed transit systems would see bigger gains. While far-flung exurbs have been steadily losing population, he said, closer-in Washington suburbs such as Arlington, Va., and Alexandria, Va., jumped in 2008 to rank in the 20 fastest-growing cities.
"In Arlington and Alexandria, we're seeing hints of a new growth model," he said, citing changing demographics in which fewer U.S. households have children.
"These were places that were losing population," he said. "But they tore down the shopping malls, developed the transit system, and put up apartment housing to accommodate singles and childless couples."
Census estimates show:
The 10 largest cities grew about 1 percent from 2007, buoyed by sharp gains in Chicago and fewer losses in Philadelphia, compared with 0.9 percent for other cities. For much of the decade, the big cities had grown at roughly 0.5 percent - half the rate for elsewhere in the U.S.
New York continued to be the most populous city, with 8.4 million residents. Los Angeles ranked second at 3.8 million. Rounding out the top 10 were Chicago, Houston, Phoenix, Philadelphia, San Antonio, Dallas, San Diego and San Jose, Calif.
For metropolitan areas greater than one million people, the growth rates of cities grew 1 percent, compared with 1.1 percent for suburbs. In 2001, city growth was half the rate for suburbs.
New Orleans was the fastest-growing city in 2008, rising 8.2 percent from 2007. Still, its population of 311,853 lagged its pre-Hurricane Katrina level of 484,674 in 2000.