The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1891-03-07


Ind.-Stsadily Moving West.
From . Census Bulletin.
By the eleventh census the center OF popula-
ton inslS90 was in the following position: Lati-
tude, 80 degrees IL minutes S. seconds; longi-
tude, IS degrees 81 minutes So seconds. In ten
years the center of population has moved west
ward So minutes and Is seconds, OK about forty
eight miles, and northward minutes and
g seconds, or about nine miles. It rests now in
southern Indiana Mt point little west OF south
OF Greensburg, the county seat Of Decatur
county, and twenty miles east Of Columbus, Ind.
The surroundings OF its location are shown upon
the sketch maps accompanying this bulletin.
The closeness with which the center Of popu-
lation, through such rapid westward movement
a. has been recorded, has chung to the parallel
Of 80 degrees Of latitude cannot fall TO be noticed
The most northern point reached was 1T the
start in 1880; the most southern point was in
1880, the preceding decade having wit
messed rapid development OF population in
the southwest, Alabama, Arkansas, Mississippi,
and Louisiana having bcen admitted az states
and Florida annexed and organized a. q terri
tory. The extreme variation in Latitude has
been less than 10 minutes, while the hundred
years Of record have accomplished movement
OF longitude OF nearly 95 degrees. Assuming
the westward movement to have been uniformly
along the parallel Of 80 degrees Of latitude. the
westward movement of the several decades has
been - follows: 179o-1s00, Al miles; 1SO0-lsl0
IS miles; 1Sl0-lS20 50 miles; 1870 1880, 30 miles;
lsSo-lsio, S. miles; lS40lS5. s. miles; lS5olS6o,
81 miles; $50, e miles, 1S70-1880, IS miles,
and lsS0-lS90, IS miles, total westward move
meut of sos miles. The sudden acceleration OF
movement between 1850 and 1850 was due to the
transfer of . considerable body of population
from the Atlantic to the Pacific coast, twelve In.
diyiduals in San Francisco exerting a. much
pressure at the then pivotal point viz, the cross
ing of the SD meridian and the S0th parallel. -
forty individuals at Boston.
The center OF population 10 the center Of
gravity of the population Of the country. each
individual being assumed to have the same
weight The method Of determination used, In
order that the result might BE- comparable with
that obtained In 1880, was in brief a. follows:
The population Of the country was first dis
tributed by square degrees - the area In
cluded between consecutive parallels and me-
ridians has been designated. point was then
assumed tentatively as the center, and correc-
lions In latitude and longitude to this tentative
position were computed. In this case the center
was assumed to Be at the intersection of the
parallel of 80 degrees with the meridian OF Sc de-
grees west OF Greenwich. The population of each
square degree was assumed to be located at the
center Of that square degree, except in cases
where it was manifest that this assumption
would be untrue, az, for instance, where part Of
the square degree was occupied blythe sea or other
large body Of water. or where it contained city
OF considcrable magnitude which was situated
"off center" In these cases the position OF the
center OF the population Of the square degree
was estimated as nearly az possible. The dis
lance Of each such center OF population Of .
square degree, whether assumed to be at the
center of the square degree or ut q distance from
the center, from the assumed parallel, and from
the assumed meridian, were then computed.
The population OF each square degree was then
- A.~
assumed parallel of latitude, and the
sum Of the products, or moments, north and
south Of that parallel made up. Their differ
ence, divided by the total population Of the
country, gave . correction to the latitude. In
similar manner the east and west moments were
made up, and from them correction in longi-
tude was obtained.
grees 1875 minutes north latitude and rs de-
grees 11.2 minutes west longitude, which a COM
parison of the best maps available would seem
to place about twenty-three miles east of Balti-
more. During the decade from 1870 to 1890 it
appears to have moved almost due west to
point about eighteen miles west of the same
city, being in latitude 80 degrees 1S. l seconds
and longitude Is degrees SIS minutes.
From $500 to 1910 il moved westward and
slightly southwark to point about forty miles
northwest bv west from Washington, being in
latitude 80 degrees 11.5 minutes and longitude
u degrees 37.2 minutes. The southwark move
ment during this decade appears to have been
due to the annexation OF the territory of Louis
lam, which contained quite extensive settle
ments.
From 1910 to 1870 1t moved westward and
again slightly southwark to a point about six
teen miles north of Woodstock, Va, being in
latitude 80 degrees 81 minutes and longitude "a
degrees SO minutes. This second southwark
movement appears to have been due to the ex.
H.v<c ~@$ 1911 e.
and Eastern Georgia.
From 1870 to 1880 1t moved still westward and
southwark to q point about nineteen miles
southwest OF Moorefield, in the present state of
West Virginia, being in latitude s. degrees 81. @
minutes and longitude 20 degrees l6.9 minutes
This is the most decided southwark movement
that 1t has made during any decade. 1t appears
to have been due in part to the addition of
Florida TO our territory and in part to the great
extension of settlements in Louisiana, Missis-
sippi and Arkansas. or generally, II may be said.
In the Southwest
From 1850 to 1870 It moved still farther west.
ward, but slightly changed its direction north.
ward. reaching point sixteen miles south of
Clarksburg, West Va, being in latitude 20 de-
grees 2 minutes and longitude so degrees Is
minutes. During this decade settlement had
made decided advances in the prairie states and
in the southern portions of Michigan and Wis
consin. the balance of increased settlement evil
6,ntly being in favor OF the Northwest
From lsio to 1850 1t moved westward and
slightly southwark again, reaching q point
about twenty three miles southeast Of Parkers.
burg, West Va, in latitude IS degrees 50 min.
utes and longitude 81 degrees 10 minutes. the
change of direction southwark being Largely
due to the annexation OF Texas.
From 1880 to 1860 il moved westward and
slightiy north ward, reaching q point twenty
miles south of Chillicotns, O., this being In Iati.
tude 81 degrees o. minutes, longitude 81 de-
From $50 TO 1870 1t moved westward and
sharply noSthward, reaching a point about
forty-eight miles east by north OF Cincinnati q
IN latitude ~ degrees L minutes, longitude sS
ment was due in part to waste and Destruction
In the South consequent upon the civil war and
In part probably to the fact that the cenans -
1870 was defective In its enumeration Of tha
southern people, especially OF the newly enfran-
In 1850 the center of population had returned
southward to nearly the same latitude which IL
had In 1S6D, being In latitude 80 degrees 4 min
utes, longitude "a degrees 39.7 minutex Thi.
soutnward movement was due only in part to
an imperfect enumeration at the south IN is-N
During the decade between $50 and $50 ths
southern states made large positive increase
both from natural growth and from immicrs'
ton aouthward.
During the past decade the center OF popula.
uoa has moved northward into practically the
same latitude which IL occupied in $50 n hss
moved westward % minutes and Is seconds -,
iofty-eighs miles, being less BY ten miles than
IIs movement during the preceding decade. sir
mics grester than the movement between lss15
westward movement since the firxt censr. ~
present position being in latitude 50 dSrrs1 III