Numbers on the NC — Adks and all
Since we’re on the subject — last week I talked with Dr. David Brown, of Cornell University’s Community and Rural Development Institute, who was in Canton for an annual SLU symposium on — guess what? — making the region healthier socio-economically speaking. Jobs, quality of life, recognizing and maximizing resources, and so on.
Dr. Brown brought a statistical profile of the seven county North Country: Jefferson, Lewis, Hamilton, Essex, Clinton, Franklin and St. Lawrence counties. It was actually prepared by a graduate student at Cornell, who, I’m fairly certain, has no dog in this hunt. He used county-level data from the U.S. Census Bureau.
Given the amount of moaning about our sorry plight here on the frontier of the U.S., there are some surprising points. (There are lots of graphs comparing us to other rural and non-metro areas of New York in many categories: from median income, housing age and values, doctors-per capita education, etc. It’s all here.)
But look at the Abstract:
The changing socio-economic and demographic profile of New York State’s North Country – an area comprised of the seven northernmost counties in the state – is the focus of this report. The report is part of a wider focus in CaRDI (Community & Rural Development Institute) on the North Country region. Our analysis uses county-level Census data to describe the North Country as a whole, provide data for each of the seven individual counties in the region, and compare these data to averages for the state’s non-metropolitan (both micropolitan and non-core) counties. Our analysis reveals a number of important points about the North Country region and how it compares with other parts of non-metropolitan New York:
• The North Country is very diverse.
• The North Country’s least-urban counties may have a higher standard of living, based on select indicators, when compared to the more urbanized areas.
• Low population density and loss of young adults are the North Country’s defining demographic characteristics.
• Poverty is no higher in the North Country than elsewhere in non-metropolitan New York State.
• The North Country older population is increasing even more rapidly than the state average.
• With the exception of Lewis County, the North Country does not have particularly high civilian employment in agriculture and/or manufacturing. The North Country’s level of dependence on these industries is similar to the level elsewhere in rural New York.
There is discouraging news about the young adult population (falling like in the rest of non-metro NYS — they’re leaving and we’re aging), about poverty in St. Lawrence County (17%), about educational attainment in general and in Franklin County particularly (far below the state average there). But all in all…by the numbers, not so bad.
This is a great study. One point worth making however is that it includes communities outside of the Adirondack Park. It may be painting a rosier picture for the Park. When assessing the health of the North Country as a whole it will be very helpful.
Martha,Thanks. The raw data would also be great. For example I had posed a question to Brian a few weeks back related to his post on his op-ed piece regarding Saranac Lake. I was curious if the census data showed that the reason for an increase in areas surrounding the town were possibly a function of an increase in the prison population rather than a "suburbanization" of sorts that Brian suggested. Only way to check that is with the raw data. I think the census bureau would "itemize" out the prison population so you could see what is going on. I didn't have the time to do that kind of digging just for the discussion, but I am still interested in the answer.
Well hot diggity! Break out the Genny Ma! Some professor says we're in the money based on census figures from 10 years ago!
An interesting profile, but I do not think it has much value, and here is why. It uses information from 2000. I think the landscape has changed so drastically since then, that to make any assumptions based on data from ten years ago is wrong. It would be like deciding how a baseball team was going to finish based on the first third of their season. Until the data from the 2010 census comes out, I would take very little from the research used. I have spent 40 of my 60 years in the North Country, and what is going on around us now is not the usual alarm about jobs, and schools, and villages and towns and counties, it is a firestorm, and it is real. The good paying jobs are leaving, replaced by Walmarts in Massena, Malone and Potsdam. They have been the biggest new employer in the region I suspect. The250-300 teaching jobs in SLC being cut are not coming back, and there will be more next year. That prison? Just a matter of time. If not this year, then next. People protesting because they do not think county workers should not only have their wages froze, but give more to their health care. All in all, not a pretty picture. The only number that means anything in a study is wages. That is what drives everything else. New housing, property values and on and on, and it just is not there.
Interesting that 2 counties are located completel in the Park: Hamilton and Essex. Hamilton lost the largest percentage of its population and Essex the third lsrgest. Jefferson, located completely out of the Park had the largest gains. Coincidence? It will be intersting to see census data town, to get more info on population trend in the Park versus outside the park. But the initial numbers suggest APA and/or land acquisition policies may have led to a decline in the Park's population.
Jefferson county is a bit of an anomaly given it is the home of Fort Drum. That billion dollar a year apparatus skews everything from housing values, population, income, school aide, employment, etc. The infamous military/industrial/congressional complex hard at work. I would say Jefferson counties "prosperity" has little to do, either positively or negatively, with land purchases in the Park.
I find it hard to give much attention to a study based on 10 year old data. Maybe they can take another look after this years census data are in and see how things look.
The information is interesting. It confirms much in the APRAP study.But for a moment, forget about the numbers and look at the view.Yesterday I needed to drive down to Amsterdam from home in northern Hamilton County.I enjoyed the drive down Rt. 30 until leaving Hamilton County.From Hamilton County south to the Amsterdam City Line, I didn't much care for anything I saw. There were some nice houses mixed in with the junky houses and junky looking businesses. It was suburban sprawl of the worst kind.Nothing really looked good until I started down the hill after crossing the city line.It was a relief to return to Hamilton County.I love true country and true city.I have never liked the junk in between the two.