Pittsburgh Deaths Outnumber Births?
Apparently Pittsburgh is joining rural areas in being one of the few urban centers where deaths outnumber births. I suppose the numbers are convincing, but between my neighborhood and the university, the evidence was making me assume we were having a baby boom. I grant that Pittsburgh's student population comes from all over the world, but Highland Park and East Liberty are full of babies and small children.
It's sort of like the Czech Republic, where officials worry about population decline but the visual evidence suggests that babies are taking over.
It's sort of like the Czech Republic, where officials worry about population decline but the visual evidence suggests that babies are taking over.
Labels: Czech, Pittsburgh
posted by Karla at 9:31 PM
5 Comments:
Actually now officials are saying we're in a baby boom over here. The maternity hospitals definitely back this up - 8 women were in labor on the same night as me and it was touch and go whether or not there would be a nurse on hand (favorite moment of the delivery - the doctor running into the hallway yelling "rodime rodime," or we're delivering, we're delivering. The baby's head was already showing and Will was convinced he'd have to pull him out on his own, but luckily the doctor came back in time for that.
Pittsburgh's population has been in a decline for a long time. It's been in and out of the news with various levels of hysteria since I moved here in 1992. Certain neighbrohoods, of course, seem to have lots of small children, but there are tons of neighborhoods populated almost exclusively by senior citizens. My neighborhood, for example, has a distinct lack of children (not that I'm complaining). About the only time I see children is when someone is visiting grandparents. The most recent census statistics for Pittsburgh are startling--it is indeed almost a geriatric city, in spite of our boy mayor. The city has really concentrated on trying to develop things that will make it seem "hip and cool" to young people to encourage them to either stay or come here from elsewhere.
Julia--truly frightening story!
Jesse will be intrigued to hear of the Czech baby boom since (well, I'm sure you know his feelings about prams) when we were there officials were all doom and gloom about the Czechs becoming extinct.
I could do with a few less excessively loud small children in my immediate vicinity (bus or cafe) but that's entirely separate from my desire to see world population shrink. Individual children have my general good wishes.
I agree there is no shortage of elderly Pittsburghers. They, too are all over the bus, and Americans are less well-trained than the Czechs about letting the infirm sit down.
The median age in Allegheny county is 39.6, compared to 35.3 nationwide. The median age for the state of Florida, for comparison, is 38.7.
Post a Comment
<< Home