Category: Demographics
-
IG of the Day: Sprawl in Abeyance
“America’s romance with sprawl may be over,” blares the headline of USA Today. “Five years ago, millions of Americans were streaming to new homes on the fringes of metropolitan areas. Then housing prices collapsed and the Great Recession slowed growth to levels not seen since the Great Depression in the 1930s. Growth remained slow last…
-
IG of the Day: Virginia’s Healthiest Counties
The healthiest jurisdictions in Virginia (shown in white) are concentrated in Northern Virginia, the Shenandoah Valley, Roanoke/Blacksburg, Charlottesville and exurban counties surrounding Richmond… oh, and Virginia Beach. The least healthiest counties? Pretty much where you’d expect, in Southside and Southwest. Source: County Health Rankings & Roadmaps. Visit the website for details by county: premature death,…
-
Five Ways Virginia Sucks
—
by
in Blogs and Blog Administration, Children and Families, Consumer Protection, Courts and law, Demographics, Disasters and Disaster Preparedness, Economic development, Energy, Environment, Government Finance, Gun rights, LGBQT, Money in politics, Science & Technology, Social Services and EntitlementsBy Peter Galuszka An alternative blogger is listing five ways Virginia may be the worst state in the union, a.k.a. “Bob Land.” Tara Lohan of AlterNet notes that generally, watching the news these days is like going through a time warp when it comes to debates about birth control or teaching science in the classroom.…
-
IG of the Day: Religiosity
Mississippi is the most religious state in the country, while Vermont and New Hampshire are tied for least religious. Virginia, where 42% of respondants to a recent Gallup poll described themselves as “very religious,” ranked with the middling states. — JAB
-
Selling Cars to a Generation that Venerates Apple more than Chevy
Back when the Baby Boomers were coming of age a zillion years ago, the Detroit automakers had a problem: Boomers rejected their parents’ favored American brands and embraced cars from Japan and Germany. Today, automakers of all nationalities have an even bigger problem. Members of the Millennial generation are rejecting their Boomer parents’ preference for…
-
IG of the Day: Metro Population Growth
This map, published by the Brookings Institution, shows the rate of population growth for the nation’s largest metropolitan regions in the 2000s. Click here to compare and contrast growth rates during the 1980s, 1990s and 2000s, and to view differing rates of growth for “cities” (urban core municipalities) and “suburbs” (outlying municipalities). — JAB
-
The “Agenda 21” Nutbars
By Peter Galuszka A half a century ago in rural places like the tobacco and corn fields of Eastern North Carolina, there used to be billboards with strong and aggressive messages. One said: “This Is Klan Country.” Another advocated: “U.S. Out of the United Nations.” Both represented frightening, hard-right elements. The source of the first…
-
Race and Virginia’s Emerging Democratic Majority
by James A. Bacon Virginia is fast reaching a demographic tipping point at which “residents of color” will account for a majority of the state’s population, states a policy brief by the left-leaning Center for American Progress. Since 2000, residents of color have accounted for 76.1% of the state’s population growth. In 2008, 40% of…
-
Richmond’s Arab Spring
—
by
in Business and Economy, Children and Families, Courts and law, Crime, Corrections, Law Enforcement, Demographics, Economic development, Education (higher ed), Education (K-12), Electoral process, Energy, Government Finance, Health Care, Immigration, Infrastructure, Labor and Workforce, LGBQT, Money in politics, Planning, Politics, Social Services and Entitlements, UncategorizedBy Peter Galuszka What seems one of the wildest General Assembly sessions that ended on Saturday was actually a healthy display of democracy in action. It could presage a fundamental way that things are done in Richmond. True, a new Republican and conservative majority in the House of Delegates pushed odious wedge issues at the…
-
¡Viva la Revolución!
—
by
in Business and Economy, Children and Families, Consumer Protection, Courts and law, Crime, Corrections, Law Enforcement, Demographics, Disasters and Disaster Preparedness, Economic development, Education (higher ed), Education (K-12), Electoral process, Energy, Government workers and pensions, Gun rights, Health Care, Housing, Immigration, Infrastructure, Insurance, Labor and Workforce, Land use & Development, LGBQT, Money in politics, Planning, Politics, Poverty & income gap, Property rights, Public safety & health, Race and Race Relations, Regulations, Gov’t Oversight, Science & Technology, Social Services and Entitlements, Taxes, Transportation, Uncategorized, Water-waste waterEstimado Jefe! Usted nunca debe salir de la ciudad, señor! Ahora que usted está ausente, la revolución comienza! Amados lectores de ya no ver los artículos que glorifican a los ricos y privilegiados. Vamos a ayudar a la tierra y los pobres y redistribuir los fondos de cobertura. ¡Viva la Revolución!
-
Virginia Population Hits 8.1 Million
Virginia’s population grew 1.2% in 2011, reaching 8.1 million, according to the official population estimate developed by the University of Virginia’s Weldon Cooper Center for Public Service. Nationally, population growth hit 1.0%. Virginia posted the 13th highest growth rate and the seventh largest numerical gain. Consistent with long-standing trends, the largest gains were concentrated in…
-
Does Vlad Have the Right Idea?
By Peter Galuszka As conservatives argue about cutting deficits and keeping low taxes for the rich both in Virginia and nationally, a bigger question is coming up: does Vladimir I. Lenin actually have the answer? Sounds strange, I know, but not if you read Britain’s center-right weekly business newsweekly, The Economist. In a leader titled,…
-
Thumbsucking, Richmond-style
By Peter Galuszka The incredible, shrinking Richmond Times-Dispatch offers a lot less to read these days. Under the leadership of Publisher Thomas A. Silvestri, many staffers have been fired to boost parent firm Media General’s top line. The effort hasn’t been entirely successful since its stock, once around $65 a share, is now a little better…
-
Is Virginia’s Population Growth Slowing?
by James A. Bacon The 2011 U.S. Census numbers are in, and the Brookings Institution is on top of them. The big story: Population growth continued decelerating across the United States and in Virginia, although the Old Dominion is still growing more rapidly than the national average. Brookings attributes the decline to several factors: weak…
-
Demographic Trends and Traffic Projections
James A. Bacon Back in October, Northern Virginia commuting guru Alan E. Pisarski updated the Washington Metro board of directors on the latest trends in commuting behavior. He made a number of important points that should temper the agitation of those who believe that Virginia’s under-funded transportation system is doomed to be overwhelmed by increasing…