Northern tribune. [volume] (Cheboygan, Mich.) 1875-1885, 1881-12-03
NORTHERN TRIBUNE.
SATURDAY. DECEMBER s,1ss1.


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NO more curious and interesting in
yestlgatiOn has been carried on by the
census Department than that relating
10 areas OF settlement in this country.
Thls Is OF more than ordinary interest
and Importance just now, because of
rapid changes in the West-caused by
emigration, and ecallse of the effort be-
ing made to direct emigration into new
channels,
The total area of settlement in the
United States in 1880 was l,569,570 square
miles, this Including about 10000
square miles more than half of the land
surface of the country. OF this settled
area 1884, 800 square miles have from 2 to q
Inhabitants to the square mile; 373,890
square miles have from to IS 'inhabit-
ants to the mile; $4,000 square miles
Is to As inhabitants to the mile; 232,O1O
square miles from As to 80 inhabitants
to the mile, and 1850 square miles
have abOve90 inhabitants to the square
mile.
Illinois, with settled area of $4,000
square miles, has no districts of the first
and second class, but has Al, 800 square
miles in the third class, 1850 in the
fourth, and 700 square miles in the fifth.
Ohio, with settled area of 40, 760 square
miles, has LOO square miles of the third
class, 81 800 in the fourth, and 2,06u in
the fifth Texas has 5000 square miles
of the first class, As, 400 of the second, 49,
300 of the third, and none of the fourth
or fifth. California has 47,7O0 square
miles of the first class, 22,4OO of the
second, $3.50 of the third, and none of the
fourth or fifth. New York has $500
square miles of the second class, $500 of
the third, $4,000 Of the fourth as to 80
people to the square mile), 2,240 square
miles of the fifth class. New Jersey has
1905 square miles with over 80 inhabit-
ants to the mile, LAO square miles, with
As to 80 people to the mile, and 1850
square miles, with from Is to as people
to the mile. In Pennsylvania there are
1880 square miles, with over, 80 people
to the mile; 10000 square miles, with
from 45 to 80 people to the mile; 1O,75O
square miles, with from 18 to 40 people
to the mile, and $500 square miles, with
6 to Is people to the mile.
The first class of settlements or of
settled areas represents the sparse pOpu-
lation the frontier; the second and agri-
cultural population in early stage of
settlement or upon rugged soil; the
third indicates highly successful agri-
culture; the fourth indicates the exist
ence of commercial and manufacturing
industries, and the fifth the most adj
vanced condition of industry. The only
States having the excess of territory in
the fifth group are Rhode Island and
New Jersey.
The per cent of increase in the total
settled area since 1870 is %. The per
cent of increase in group is Sc; group
2, nearly 3 per cent; group 3, nearly IS
per cent; group 4, about 80 per cent, and
group 5, about 81 per cent. In other
words, there was, as compared with the
record of the previous decade, an in
crease in the sparsely settled region and
i'm the area of manufactures at the eX-
pense of the poorer agricultural regions.
In the thirteen original States the in
crease in settled area was marked at
each decade up to 1880. From that time
to 1850 the increase was little more than
nominal. In the group of States taking
in Kentucky, Tennessee, Ohio, Indiana,
Illinois, Michigan, Missouri, Arkansas,
louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama. and
Florida, the total area of settlement has
continued to increase without Interrupt
ton. The sparsely settled area increas-
ed until 1910, lost heavily until 1870,
and increased again in the last decade.
This was owing to new settlements In
Michigan and the older Southern States.
Group (early stage settlements) in
creased to 1859, since which time 1t has
decreased. Groups 3 and have increas-
ed steadily, and group 3 appears for the
first time in the States mentioned.
In the newer states and territories the
increase in the area of the several
groups has been uninterrupted except as
IN OrOun a Commercial and manufac-
turing industry with from forty-five to
this there has been a decrease in the last
ten years from 1900 square miles to g.
29O. This is accounted for on the theory
that there was an exodus from the min
ing regions of California and Nevada.