[PRCo] Re: Pen's get new luxury hotel

[Schneider Fred]

Allegheny County had 1,628,587 in the 1960 census but it has dropped  
by over 400,000 since then (to 1,223,411 in 2006 estimate).    
Pittsburgh City, McKeesport, Etna, Millville, McKees  
Rocks,Wilkinsburg, Homestead and other older towns account for more  
than 400,000 of the drop while the suburban area such as Upper Saint  
Clair, Penn Hills, Fox Chapel, Ross Township, West View, West Mifflin  
accounted for any growth.

Beaver County County peaked later than most ... 1970 perhaps because  
J&L Steel, by then LTV Steel, remained open in Beaver County longer  
than in Allegheny County.   Armstrong Cork's Beaver Falls plant is  
still open even though the Pittsburgh plant is now an apartment  
building.   So, the 1970 Beaver County population is 208,418 and the  
2006 projection is 175,736.

Butler County is the only one to have shown continuous growth ... the  
182,901 number in the 2006 census is the peak census department  
projection.  As I remember, most of the housing growth was along I-79  
in Cranberry Township.

Fayette County, on the other hand, thanks to the demise of coal and  
coking had its peak year in 1940 when the population was 200,999.    
The US Bureau of the census projection for 2006 was 145,690, a drop  
of 27.5 percent.

Washington County peaked in 1960 at 217,271.   The 206 estimate was  
206,432.   The only real growth areas are those along the route 19  
corridor, i.e. Peters and North Strabane townships.  Washington,  
Charleroi, Donoroa and Monogahela boroughs have taken a blood bath.

Westmoreland County peaked in 1980 at 392,184 because of housing  
developments along US 22 and the opening of the Volkswagen plant in  
New Stanton, the the drop resumed.  The estimate for 2006 is 366,440.

Now if you want the entire six county MSA (and I've included all  
counties for consistency even if the Federal Office of Management and  
Budget may have changed the definition because of changed commuting  
patterns over time), the peak year for the region is 1960 with a  
population of 2,690,648.   In 2006 the region is  2,306,402, also  
down nearly 400,000.

If you wish to look at it in detail, use this link and change the  
county name:

http://www.spcregion.org/pdf/RegPop/Municipal%20population% 
201930-2000%20for%20Washington%20County.pdf

There is no doubt that the area turned from a place where the strong  
back prevailed into one where the incomes are made in the board  
office rooms and medical centers.    The question remains, can that  
carry the region.   Obviously it continues to loose people.

On Dec 18, 2008, at 3:15 PM, Jerry MATT Matsick wrote:

>
>  Fred - you keep saying the City of Pittsburgh has 300,000 people,  
> which is true, however
> Allegheny County has over a 1,200,000, plus the 5 county metro  
> area  has nearly 2.5 million,  checked available office space in  
> downtown Pittsburgh and the city has one of the highest occupancy  
> rates in the country, so there are alot of people commuting to  
> downtown Pittsburgh, many of the Pittsburgh people have moved out  
> of the area, plus alot have moved to counties outside of Allegheny,  
> but many still work in Pittsburgh. Most of the times I rode the T  
> the cars were full, what would stop  people from riding into  
> downtown from the North Hills or East side communities?  With Mr.  
> Obama promoting all these new jobs
> in contstructing highways etc, someone needs to tell him, RAILS are  
> our future!    Friends from Chevy Chase MD, and Arlington VA  
> recently visited Pittsburgh for the first time and were impressed  
> with what
> they found.
> --
> From: Jerry "Matt" Matsick
>
> AGING: Eventually you will reach a point when you
> stop lying about your age and start Bragging
> about it.
>   -------------- Original message from Phillip Clark Campbell  
> <pcc_sr at yahoo.com>: --------------
>
>
>> ----- Original Message ----
>>
>>> From: Schneider Fred
>>> To: pittsburgh-railways at dementia.org
>>> Sent: Wednesday, December 17, 2008 6:30:57 PM
>>> Subject: [PRCo] Re: Pen's get new luxury hotel
>>>
>>> Imagined tax revenues is the answer.
>>
>> $$$$$
>>
>> $$$$$$$
>>
>> $$$$$$
>>
>> $$$$$$$$$
>>
>> It is the dollar that rules isn't it.
>>
>>>
>>> Portland is an enigma to me ... the light rail fits in with the
>>> culture ... it fits there like it fits in Europe but doesn't fit in
>>> Memphis ... it fits because the mentality of the people there accept
>>> urban life. .....   The Oregonians are
>>> very jealous about their culture and keeping out the riff raff.
>>
>> Better look again Mr.Schneider.  Number of Homeless on the
>> streets of Portland makes Los Angeles look like Paradise on earth.
>> All over downtown Portland.  Appears disproportionate to
>> the extreme doesn't it.
>>
>> Yes, rail works very well in Portland, even the 'so-called  
>> streetcar.'
>>
>>
>>
>> Phil
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>