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Shift in Pa. population has a liberal, urban edge
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| Contributor | ArmyDem |
| Last Edited | ArmyDem Apr 11, 2008 09:46am |
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| Category | News |
| Media | Newspaper - Philadelphia Inquirer |
| News Date | Thursday, April 10, 2008 03:45:00 PM UTC0:0 |
| Description | Posted on Thu, Apr. 10, 2008
By Paul Nussbaum
Inquirer Staff Writer
STROUDSBURG, Pa. - Slowly but surely, Pennsylvania is tilting southeastward.
As the population shrinks in western Pennsylvania and grows in eastern Pennsylvania, the politically pivotal state is becoming more suburban, more Democratic, more eastern. It is becoming more like New Jersey and less like Ohio.
Since 1970, the 16 westernmost counties have lost about 400,000 people, according to census data. Meanwhile, the 15 easternmost and southeasternmost counties have gained about 900,000.
Here in Monroe County, in the heart of the Poconos, the population grew by nearly 30,000 - 20 percent - between 2000 and 2006 as former residents of New Jersey and New York continued to move in, attracted by lower housing costs and lower taxes. To the north, neighboring Pike County gained 26 percent, and in adjacent Northampton County, to the south, population was up 9 percent in the same period.
"We're finally getting some of the restaurants we always wanted, and now we don't have to go to Scranton or Wilkes-Barre or Allentown to shop," said Suzanne McCool, a retired New Jersey teacher who is the new chairwoman of the Monroe County commissioners. "Monroe County used to be very rural and conservative. With the influx of people, they've given us a new vitality. . . . Diversity is up. We're like a small city in the makeup of our county." |
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