DECLINING URBAN CENTERS IN THE UNITED STATES: 1940-1960

Abstract

A substantial amount of literature in the social sciences deals with the growth of population centers in the United States and other parts of the world. Normally in such publications growth is made synonymous with population increase rather than increase in area. In addition, growth can be measured by using such items as increases in bank holdings, employment, or retail sales. One also can measure urban growth within other parameters, but however interesting such treatments may be, they fail to include a phenomenon of significance, that is, urban decline. Although measurement of decline also is possible within various parameters, this paper deals with decreases in population. A point often lost sight of is that, although many and perhaps most urban settlements are experiencing increases in population with all their ramifications, many other places are suffering losses of people and problems resulting therefrom. The purpose of this paper is to deal with urban centers of the United States that have lost inhabitants during the past two decades.2 It is necessary to clarify the meaning of urban center as used in this writing. This term is used to include all incorporated places, as recognized by the Bureau of the Census, and all unincorporated places with a population of 1,000 or more in 1960. Such a definition gives rise to the question of exclusion of thousands of small unincorporated agglomerated settlements. Inclusion of such places is not made by the Bureau of the Census in the Census of Population which served as the source of data for this paper. Population data for such places are available only from sources

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