Tuesday, January 27, 2009

Childless cities

In writing a post on the demographics of Portland, Ore., Steve Sailer linked to this 2005 article about (relatively) childless cities:
Portland is one of the nation's top draws for the kind of educated, self-starting urbanites that midsize cities are competing to attract. But as these cities are remodeled to match the tastes of people living well in neighborhoods that were nearly abandoned a generation ago, they are struggling to hold on to enough children to keep schools running and parks alive with young voices.
San Francisco, where the median house price is now about $700,000, had the lowest percentage of people under 18 of any large city in the nation, 14.5 percent, compared with 25.7 percent nationwide, the 2000 census reported. Seattle, where there are more dogs than children, was a close second. Boston, Honolulu, Portland, Miami, Denver, Minneapolis, Austin and Atlanta, all considered, healthy, vibrant urban areas, were not far behind. The problem is not just that American women are having fewer children, reflected in the lowest birth rate ever recorded in the country.
Officials say that the very things that attract people who revitalize a city - dense vertical housing, fashionable restaurants and shops and mass transit that makes a car unnecessary - are driving out children by making the neighborhoods too expensive for young families. . . .
Worth reading the whole thing.

4 comments:

  1. Childless cities: Isn't that exactly what Nancy Pelosi (D-Culture of Death) wants?

    For decades, liberals have badgered us to be more like Europe. They're getting their way: socialism, low birth rates, the nanny state.

    Soon we'll have what Europe has: a dying culture.

    A ray of hope, however: I read an article recently, somewhere, that claimed big families (i.e. more than 2 kids) were back in style, almost a status symbol. I don't know if that's true, but it's certainly true that in Catholic homeschool circles, big families are the norm. Thank God!

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  2. and pop culture makes fun of the same people (Revolutionary Road) for leaving the cities for the suburbs..

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  3. My question is this. Are there substantial number of Islamics in any of these cities? Believe me, they will take care of repopulating these cities very quickly!

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