Chicago Population Sinks to 1920 Level

[begingri]

By KEVIN HELLIKER

CHICAGO—A larger-than-expected exodus over the past 10 years reduced the population of Chicago to a level not seen in nearly a century.

The U.S. Census Bureau reported Tuesday that during the decade ended in 2010, Chicago's population fell 6.9% to 2,695,598 people, fewer than the 2.7 million reported back in 1920.

After peaking at 3.62 million people in 1950, Chicago underwent a half century of decline that ended only when the 1990s boom years produced a small gain in the 2000 count. At that time, the city loudly celebrated its comeback.

But the recent recession accelerated a migration both to the metropolitan area's farthest suburbs and to the Southern U.S. Chicago nonetheless is expected to remain the nation's third-largest city, behind New York and Los Angeles and just ahead of Houston, for which final census numbers aren't in yet.

The exodus took a big chunk out of the city's black population in particular, shrinking it to 887,608 from 1,065,009, according to William Frey, a demographer at the Brookings Institution think tank in Washington.

"The black decline is really powering the city loss," Mr. Frey said, calling it "part of the great reverse migration to the South."

Blacks remain the most-populous race in Chicago, Mr. Frey said, while the number of whites fell during the decade by about 52,000 to just under 855,000 and Hispanics' ranks rose by about 25,000 to just below 780,000.

The population of Cook County, which is dominated by the city of Chicago, fell 3.4% during the decade. But it remained by far the state's most populous county, with about 5.2 million people.

The explosive growth of suburbs far outside Chicago produced huge gains in neighboring counties. Kane County grew by 27.5%, Will County by nearly 35% and Lake County by 9.2%, while DuPage grew a more modest 1.4%.

This population shift to traditionally conservative counties could alter the balance of power in both the state house and the Illinois congressional delegation.

The influx of residents to outlying areas could translate into additional Republican seats, though the arrival there of Chicagoans—particularly minorities—could make those regions more politically diverse. For instance, said University of New Hampshire demographer Kenneth Johnson, "DuPage County could become less Republican." Mr. Johnson said his analysis of census data showed that metropolitan Chicago grew 4% to 9,683,000 people.

Overall, the population of Illinois grew slightly, to 12.8 million from 12.4 million. Among its fast-growing cities, Aurora expanded by 38.4%, Naperville by 10.5% and Joliet by 38.8%. In something of a surprise, Rockford—currently beset by double-digit unemployment—actually grew by 1.8%. The growth of the industrial city, which was ravaged by the early 1980s recession, may reflect the city's efforts since then to diversify its manufacturing-based economy.


Source: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB1000...googlenews_wsj

[begingri]

It goes to show you that even a vibrant Midwest city is not immune to population loss.

[iheartthed]

You gotta admit that Chicago wears a declining population well. Maybe that's who Detroit should model their shrinking the city efforts after...

[canuck]

Well Tokyo keeps growing and sustaining itself through guess what? Infrastructure in for the most part low-rise neighborhoods. It has a metropolitan population of 36 million. I think it has to do with balancing individual needs with the general attitude about being a part of something bigger than oneself which is typically japanese. They obviously can fuck things up big time, but they generally acknowledge that something has to be done to correct a mistake, and move on.

[wolverine]

The census numbers match the neighborhoods well. You can see the largest amounts of abandonment in black neighborhoods.

This is not surprising. Chicago and the other super cities are unsustainable.

Financially yes, we are totally screwed. In most other areas [[depending on what you define as sustainability) we are doing hell of a lot better than most other cities. We are well positioned within a global economy, our schools are improving, and the crime rate is terrible but we've proven we can manage it.

As far as "outgrowing" that's wrong. In 1960, Chicago had 1 million more residents and they managed to survive. We hadn't really been building as many residential high-rises then so accounting for the loss of residents in areas in the south and west sides We have tons of room to grow in all sort of directions. New advances in technology and transportation have also eased the burden of the city's footprint on the environment. Our infrastructure is overbuilt to handle population increases, but certainly not for the automobile.....that which is a good thing.

FYI, I wonder how the relocation of CHA residents affected the census numbers. I recall a large percentage being sent off to the suburbs. We are talking tens of thousands of residents.

[downtown_racine]

200,000 sounds like the amount relocated from now defunct CHA projects.

[fryar]

I'm a little puzzled by this thread. Is Chicago's supposed unsustainability related to having a seemingly vast agglomeration of high rises?

[DetroitDad]

That post was deleted because of a lack of easily referenceable direct evidence.

[wolverine]

That post was deleted because of a lack of easily referenceable direct evidence.

It's not like you haven't said the same thing before.

[lilpup]

hmmm...Chicago has mass transit, bright, shiny towers, big businesses downtown, lower crime rate...all the things Detroit supposedly "needs"...so what's the problem?

[iheartthed]

hmmm...Chicago has mass transit, bright, shiny towers, big businesses downtown, lower crime rate...all the things Detroit supposedly "needs"...so what's the problem?

Look closely at who it is leaving Chicago.

[DetroitPlanner]

The rate of building smaller residences in the core of Chicago has shrunk over the last ten years. With smaller family sizes and divorce rates people are getting spread out. If you don't build enough smaller units and fill them, a city will naturally shrink because of demographic changes.

This is happening throughout developed countries.

This is not a Detroit thread, and is only here to bash Chicago, how do we get this moved to "non-Detroit" where it belongs?

[bailey]

Look closely at who it is leaving Chicago.

Nah. why do that when it would raise all sorts of uncomfortable questions about why that is happening.

[iheartthed]

The rate of building smaller residences in the core of Chicago has shrunk over the last ten years. With smaller family sizes and divorce rates people are getting spread out. If you don't build enough smaller units and fill them, a city will naturally shrink because of demographic changes.

This is happening throughout developed countries.

This is not a Detroit thread, and is only here to bash Chicago, how do we get this moved to "non-Detroit" where it belongs?

I wouldn't say that it's entirely unrelated to Detroit. Chicago's population losses were pretty much confined to its black residents. Black Chicagoans and black Detroiters are almost completely analogous in culture and socioeconomic markers. So the trending in Chicago probably sets the tone for Detroit and then some.

[DetroitPlanner]

I wouldn't say that it's entirely unrelated to Detroit. Chicago's population losses were pretty much confined to its black residents. Black Chicagoans and black Detroiters are almost completely analogous in culture and socioeconomic markers. So the trending in Chicago probably sets the tone for Detroit and then some.

That is a red herring. More blacks left Chicago because there are more black people living in Chicago than white people. The trend is not all that different between the two races with the only group showing an increase is hispanic, which can be either race or other races.

[SWMAP]

Read this statement: " More blacks left Chicago because there are more black people living in Chicago than white people."

Completely illogical. What did you mean?

[SWMAP]

Spending a little more time with your comment: I now think you meant that similar percentages of Black people and White people moved out of Chicago and so the actual number of blacks leaving would not suggest anything of significance as to whether Blacks are migrating out faster than Whites.

And is this true?

[iheartthed]

That is a red herring. More blacks left Chicago because there are more black people living in Chicago than white people. The trend is not all that different between the two races with the only group showing an increase is hispanic, which can be either race or other races.

Not sure where you got your info from but the number of non-Hispanic whites is only slightly lower than the number of blacks in Chicago; the percentage breakdown is something like 31% non-Hispanic whites and 34% black. So even if both groups showed a numerical decrease, plausible but I'm not convinced, the number of black residents leaving clearly dwarfed the number of white residents who left.

[DetroitPlanner]

Statistically its not much to worry about. The point being that there is a loss in population. I am not trying to blame a race!

Too many times reporters add stuff that confuses folks in order to try to tell a story.

[illwill]

In my humble opinion, the reason people are leaving Chicago is because of massive corruption, high crime, gangs/drugs, unnecessary fines, excessive fees, parking meters sold off, city assets sold off, rubber stamp city council, political patronage, red light cameras on every corner and a dictator named mayor Richard Daley who is Americans biggest untouchable.

Chicago is a city that nickel and dimes it's residents to death. This makes for a very stressful and low-quality level of life. It's a very difficult city to live in, not because it's expensive but because it has too many rules and the politicians get rich off of pick pocketing the residents at any expense. There is no sense of community in Chicago like there is in Detroit or Ann Arbor, the level of education for the average Chicagoan in amazingly low and the morale of the city is even lower. Chicago has a long way to go in order for it to become a great city to live in again and enjoy it. Just like I’ve always said about Detroit, it's not the size of the city or the number of skyscrapers, it's about the people. Chicagoans are a different type of thinking people. I hope Mayor Rahm Emanuel can be successful in his soon to be position as Mayor because this is Chicago's last chance to stand.

Trust me the grass is always greener other side and Detroiters need to keep doing what we're doing.

[Danny]

At last Chicago is seen its population fate as Detroit and other cities in the U.S. This is due to stable violent neighborhood gang problem, higher murder rate since 2000, property value problem around the loop area and real estate bust and higher forclosure rates of 2009. This is matter of middle class flight and suburban development. Most middle class Chicagoans don't want to live in those ticky-tacky, little boxes filled with ranches, family flats, greystones and rowhomes built by the Lost generation. Middle class folks still prefer more spaces and bigger backyards and extra privacy.

The Mexican/Hispanic population in Chicago are still hanging on to the neighborhoods. Most of them still like those ticky-tacky, little boxes filled with ranches, family flats, greystones and rowhomes for budget concerns. within 30 years, they might be the next dominate group of race that will rule Chicago next to Los Angeles My question is will white folks and black folks will come back to Chicago if they get tired of the suburban mess? Surely the change of property rates, traffic problems and job flight might change their minds.


Here's what I know about Chicago's ethnic flight in the past 50 years.


1. Chicago's population was at 3 million, an influx of Blacks from the south migrated to " Black Belt/Bronzeville section in The South side. By the 1950s More blacks migrated to the West side like North Lawndale area thanks to Jewish movement to some parts of the western suburbs. Other went further to North and Northwest Side and the its suburbs where the reside at Niles, Evanston and Lincolnwood today.[[ I went there to check it out years ago).

2. To answer the slumlord problems in Chicago's Black ghettoes, the Chicago Housing Authority built housing building projects like Cabrini-Green and Robert Taylor Homes. Later they became "Drugs R Us" provided by the Vice Lords, Satan Knights and Black P. Stones and Gangster Disciples. Bothe of those had been torn down to build new middle class housing.

3. In the 1950s to the 1990s Thanks restrictive convenants and bad real estate practices White Chicago families were migrating to south and western suburbs, blacks were kept out [[Especially the Suburb of Cicero). The Dan Ryan FWY was made is a demrcation wall to kept blacks who were living at the Black Belt/ Bronzeville area out. However bad real estate agents has ploted to lure middle class White Chicagoans to the suburbs by having black kids riding on their bicycles through the neigborhood. They would put middle class white families into a state of racial fear, sell their Chicago homes and move out. [[ This practice spread to Detroit neighborhoods and other U.S. Cities).

4. This same practice worked with Mexican and Hispanic families who were migrating from Pilsen [[ Little Village) to the Southwest side and further up to Humboldt Park and up the far northwest side fo Chicago.

5. By the mid to late 1980s bad real estate brokers ploted to lure more middle whites further out greener ex-urbs in southwestern Illinois by urging white families to sell their south suburban homes fast to black families for special tax incetives. The result is the south suburbs of Dixmoor, Calumet City, Lansing, Blue Island, Dolton, South Holland, Harvey and far as Homewood became mostly black suburbs today.

6.Same practice happend in western suburbs of Maywood and Bellwood. Aslo more blacks from the west side had migrated to Chicago suburbs of Oak Park, too.

7. The Mexican/Hispanic migrated to Chicago to settle at Pilsen [[ Little Village) in the near south side in the 1950s. They were not immune to constant racism from White Chicagoans. So gangs like the Latin Kings were formed for their protection, by somewhat in the late 1980s The Mexicans/Latinos population migrated to western suburbs of Cicero and Berwyn due to real estate steering to lure middle class white sububanites further to western ex-urbs.

8. Real estate steering has lure Mexican/Latinos further to upward to Northwest side of Chicago from Humboldt Park to Irving Park areas [[ while I have been writing before.)

Chicago today still remains ethnically diversed but demarked by segegration, political ward corruption and rival neigborhoods gang problems and rise of violent crime and economic flight. Through those urban fears will cause middle class folks to move away to greener pasture if Chicagoans don't change their ways. Detroit did its fate 50 years ago. I hope Chicago don't experience what Detroit did?

WORD FROM THE STREET PROPHET

Because people make Chicago what it is today. Same goes with Detroit.

Neda, I miss you so.

[belleislerunner]

Hump day chuckles...
http://gawker.com/#!5761953/americas...-by-white-kids

[Danny]

I see this trend going on on Midtown Detroit. More white "hip cool skinny jeaned" kids are making their settlements there. Most of them to be close to Wayne State University. Booming housing and exotic businesses made Midtown revival possible. This trend will go on for years to come creating a ethnic cultural center and expanding to to once black and blighted ghettohoods of Detroit in the next 30 years.

[rhythmc]

The Detroit News article today regarding the incentive programs by DMC, WSU, etc. spoke about the diversity that those types of organizations can promote in offering incentives to their employees who represent a diverse collective. Though I don't live there, I would hope that Detroit [[as a city and region) can see good in a city that is socially and economically mixed. Though Chicago has a great mix of people throughout its neigborhoods, there is massive segregation. I believe it is this segregation that leads to the corrupt real estate brokers and developers employing fear of the "other" to spur people to move, decimating neighborhoods while they laugh their way to the bank. Meanwhile, businesses don't fill in the gaps left behind by those fleeing, crime creeps in, and people grow more pessimistic that life can ever become better where they are. I believe these realities factor heavily in people's choices to leave the city for greener pastures in the 'burbs, ex-urbs and beyond.

I often wonder with all of the success of Midtown and Corktown, does the "new" Detroit see itself vastly different from "old" Detroit? I can understand the types of people no one desires to live next to [[perpetual pessimists, social derelicts, people who just don't give a damn). What I mean by this is does "new" Detroit value diversity [[in all its diverse meanings) differently than "old" Detroit with all of its segregation, in-fighting, and regular dose of pessimism?

[old guy]

I'm living in a small town and I've noticed the exact opposite trend. People are moving from large metropolitan areas to small towns. I'm not talking about wealthy people. From discussions I've had with a few of these people they tell me it's not because they want to live the rural life, it's because they've run out of options in the city. Small towns, and I'm talking about populations of about 8000 to 20,000 seem to have job openings. Unfortunately the wages are usually reasonably low, but for someone that's been unable to find work for several years I guess they see it as an option. I'm not talking about suburbs. I miss living in a large city but in the same way, it just seems easier to establish a way of life in a small town these days. It is somewhat similar to the great migration to the cities from the 20's to the 50's. People do what they have to do.
Some of the people I talk to sound as though they're just looking for a place to ride the storm out, and if the economy rebounds they'd move back to the city.

I enjoy the fact that if I get a parking ticket, the most I'm going to pay is $5. On the other hand I spend a lot of time daydreaming about being able to walk into a deli and order a pastrami on rye.
I honestly don't think it's a matter of people wanting to leave the cities as much as it's a matter of having to.