Posted on 02/08/2005 5:00:55 AM PST by wmichgrad
DETROIT (AP) — The number of Detroit residents has fallen below 900,000 for the first time since 1920, according to estimates released by the Southeast Michigan Council of Governments.
The agency said Monday that its estimate of the city's population, as of Feb. 1, is 899,387. That's a 5.5-percent drop — or 51,883 people — since the 2000 U.S. Census, which showed the city had dropped below 1 million.
Detroit's population peaked at about 2 million in the early 1950s. Since 2000, when it had 951,270 residents, Detroit has lost the most people of any U.S. city with 100,000 or more residents.
"Clearly, that's sobering news," Howard Hughey, a spokesman for Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick, said of the SEMCOG estimate.
"A lot of this decline is economic flight and we're aggressively addressing the root of that flight," Hughey told the Detroit Free Press. "We will continue to add strategies to grow Detroit neighborhood by neighborhood."
Annual population estimates compiled by the U.S. Census Bureau usually count about 10,000 fewer residents than does SEMCOG. The annual Census Bureau estimates will be available in July.
On the Net:
Southeast Michigan Council of Governments: http://www.semcog.org/
U.S. Census Bureau: http://www.census.gov/
Sorry they close on a house in the burbs next week.
You can shoot canons down the street at 5:00 and not hit anyone.
I think Tampa Bay and Sarasota is Michigan South. Maybe Lakeland(Detroit Tigers second home) and Orlando can be included there as well. I see as many Florida plates here as I do Ohio.
Speaking of immigrants, the one area of Detroit that really rebounded outside of Downtown is Mexicantown. Part of the SW section that was gangland central(possibly the worst part of the city back then) in the late 80's/early 90's. The Mexicans there (about 80,000) cleaned it up. Now even some DINKS are moving there.
Now maybe someone can clean up Gratiot....
BTT
btt
My Grandparents are buried at Woodmere Cemetery in Southwest, not too bad an area...
In the late 70s/early 80s we use to hitchhike from Downtown to the Downriver area...
There is a real nice bookstore on Lafayette near Trumbull, Kings, I think the name...
And as others have stated, some great old architecture throughout the city...
But I live in Maryland, so I only visit the area....
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.