Midwest dominates “dying cities” list
I’ve grown up in the Midwest, what the rest of the United States calls “fly-over country.” So it pained me to see the latest list by Forbes.com. The editors there put together a feature story on the United States’ fastest-dying cities. Of course, the Midwest — and Ohio, specifically — dominated the list.
Ohio, in fact, accounted for four of the 10 cities on Forbes’ list: Youngstown, Canton, Dayton and Cleveland.
Michigan fared little better. The state had Detroit and Flint on the list. The two states, then, had six out of 10 cities on the list.
These cities made the list because, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, they face shrinking populations, rising unemployment and economies that are barely growing.
The other cities on the list are Scranton, Penn.; Springfield, Mass.; Buffalo, N.Y.; and Detroit.
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You have to feel sorry for these cities, most of which have never recovered from job losses in the manufacturing industry. I live close enough to the Michigan cities to know that municipal officials there have tried several plans to pump life back into their cities. Nothing, though, seems to work.
Do you live in one of these “dying” cities? If so, I’d love to hear from you. How does being on this list make you feel? Does your city deserve to be on the list? Do you see any bright spots coming for you municipality? And, most importantly of all, do you plan on leaving anytime soon?
