Cities grow more than suburbs, first time in 100 years

[dioscorides]

By HOPE YEN, KRISTEN WYATT

WASHINGTON — For the first time in a century, most of America's largest cities are growing at a faster rate than their surrounding suburbs as young adults seeking a foothold in the weak job market shun home-buying and stay put in bustling urban centers.

New 2011 census estimates released Thursday highlight the dramatic switch.

Driving the resurgence are young adults, who are delaying careers, marriage and having children amid persistently high unemployment. Burdened with college debt or toiling in temporary, lower-wage positions, they are spurning homeownership in the suburbs for shorter-term, no-strings-attached apartment living, public transit and proximity to potential jobs in larger cities.

read the rest here:
http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/47992439/ns/today-money/
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Here are links to the new data:
Annual Estimates of the Resident Population for Incorporated Places over 50,000, Ranked by July 1, 2011 Population: April 1, 2010 to July 1, 2011: http://www.census.gov/popest/data/cities/totals/2011/tables/SUB-EST2011-01.xls

Cumulative Estimates of Resident Population Change for Incorporated Places over 50,000, Ranked by Percent Change: April 1, 2010 to July 1, 2011: http://www.census.gov/popest/data/cities/totals/2011/tables/SUB-EST2011-02.xls

Tulsa and Broken Arrow both grew at a rate of 1.2 percent.  Tulsa's population estimate is now 396,466.  That is up from 391,906.

[TheArtist]

The trend has been shifting and growing for quite some time.  For at least a decade now.  And it's not just people moving to or staying in the city in general, but back to the old historic cores/downtowns/streetcar suburb type areas.  Tulsa as per usual is behind on this trend.  But, we have some great bones and could build a high quality, very competitive city... if we make the right zoning choices.   

Ran across this a while back... http://www.builderonline.com/housing-trends/urban-core-growing-faster-than-outer-burbs.aspx
and noticed the comment I have heard related before in different ways that basically says "pedestrian friendly, urban areas are great places to create, exchange and nurture new ideas" which is essential to the new age of idea/information technologies and economies. 

[dioscorides]

When I first saw the article, I guessed that Tulsa would still be behind Broken Arrow in growth.  I was pretty surprised when I found the data and saw that both grew at the same rate.

[carltonplace]

Another trend that has been growing: toiling in temporary, lower-wage positions

[Conan71]

Another trend that has been growing: toiling in temporary, lower-wage positions

**Insert requisite Obama blaming Bush for this here.**

[carltonplace]

**Insert requisite Obama blaming Bush for this here.**

Nope, it's not Obama or Bush. This is the flattening of the world. Unless we find a new industry most of our jobs can be done more cheaply over seas. Keep on shopping at Wal*Mart all you Murcans!

[EricGarcia]

I am glad to see Tulsa's population inching closer to 400,000.  I hope the 2012 population estimates that come out next year will reveal that Tulsa has hit 400,000.  I see Broken Arrow has finally officially crossed the 100,000 mark.  A lot of Tulsa's residential growth is occurring across from Broken Arrow's border between 41st and 51st near 145th to 193rd.

[TheArtist]

  During the Comprehensive Plan process they showed population estimates based on different growth scenarios like whether we implemented the plan we came up with or not.  We would have more growth if we implement the plan which makes sense on several fronts imo.  1. Tulsa is running out of room within its borders for the quick, easy suburban style growth, especially in south Tulsa. (the "comprehensive plan" people did mention that the Tulsa Hills area has given us a reprive of sorts) 2.  So soon the suburbs will be able to "out suburban growth" us, leaving us to grow by infill development and in areas of the city that are both not on the usual growth path (suburban style neighborhoods and development tend to grow near other developments reinforcing eachother and bringing in new retail, etc.) and not in as desirable areas of the city.  3.  Which leads to the notion that you will want to have a sizeable portion of your growth be good urban infill.   BUT with our current suburban style zoning we are not going to get GOOD urban infill.  

Essentially with forseeable population living trends, we as a city will be setting ourselves up for even slower growth (though it may or may not be faster than the suburbs) than usual if we don't work to implement good urban zoning regulations.  We changed things to what worked for the past several generations.  But are we going to change again to meet the challenges and opportunities of the current and next ones?  Many of the cities that we admire ((Austin (about double our size added about 30,000 people during the time we added around 2,000)   Denver, Charlotte, (both added around 20,000)   etc.)) or see as peer cities have already made those changes and are growing much faster than we are, even during this recession.

[shadows]

The cities are growing.  Could that be because of the improved expressways that allows the rural area resident to abandon the hard rural life and move into the cities, still able to communicate daily back to their farms to put in the crops.  Then also the price of farm land is escalading as foreign interest are purchasing the farms.  Many farm products are being imported.  As the city population increases there is an influx in the criminal element that move
among the masses.

Sell the farm and move to the city. You may get enough cash to retire on.