pcl (06/10/82)
>From the Chicago Tribune, 9 June, 1982:
PHILDELPHIA (AP) - Rural areas have outstripped the cities and their
suburbs in population and job growth for the first time in more than a
century and a half, according to a study published by the Federal
Reserve Bank of Philadelphia.
The boom in the boondocks has been fueled by the construction of the inter-
state highway system, improvements in communications and computer
technology and a decreased reliance on the goods and services
traditionally available in big cities, said Gerald Carlino, senior
economist of the bank's urban and regional section.
. . . "It seems to be a fundamental break with a 150-year trend", he
added.
Carlino ... said it was the first time since the 1800s that rural areas
have grown faster than cities or suburbs. ... Drawing on statistics from
the 1980 census and other studies, Carlino found population in the
metropolitan areas grew at a rate of less that 1% during the 70s while
population in rural sections grew at a rate of more than 1.5%. In
addition, rural areas showed increases from 1970 to 1977 in all but two
of 13 job categories surveyed, while metro areas registered declines in
all of the categories save two, the article said.
[ Carlino ] said mobility of retired people, who can live in rural areas
detached from job centers, or growth in mining and recreation jobs do
not account for the underlying changes in the nation's economy and
demography. More important factors, he said, are improvements in the
nation's road network, changes in production technology and advances in
communications.
[ Communications ... computer technology ... the effects are just
beginning to be felt ... - pcl ]davidson (06/11/82)
Arthur Clarke predicted this in detail thirty years ago. Its only just begun. Here's a great slogan to go with it: Don't commute, communicate! - Greg Davidson