The Portland daily press., 1891-04-24
City and county popuIatIor.

One of the most remarkable and sugges-
tive revelations made by the present census
is the great increase in urban populations.
Urban population as defined by this and
past censuses is the population living in
cities or in other closely aggregated bodies,
containing 5000 or more inhabitants. The
total population of the country in 1890 was
62,622,25O. and of this 1S.235,670 was urban
according to the definition given above.
That is to say, the urban population in 1890
was 29.12 per cent. of the total population.
AT the beginning Of the century the urban
population was 3.35 per cent of the whole.
UP to 1910 this population had increased to
S'52, or about five per cent. in twenty-five
years. The increase was:greatly accelerated
In the next decade, from 1910 to 1850, rising
from S52 to u 40, or two. thirds as much as
the whole increase for the preceding twenty
five years. From that period until 1880 it
increased just about four per cent. a decade.
being 2257 per cent. in the latter year. Dur
ing the last decade the rate of increase has
jumped from about four per cent. to nearly
seven per cent. In 1890 the urban popula-
tion OF the country was about one-thirtieth
of the whole; now 1t is about one-third. In
1880 the number of places in the United
States having a population of more than
5000 was six; In 1880 it had risen to 2S6;
and in 1890 it leaped to 44S.
This urban element is very unevenly dis
tributed. Thus the North Atlantic division,
comprising the New England States and
New York, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania,
contains an urban population of s9764 26 o.
1922 per cent. of the whole urban popula-
ton of the country; the South Allan
tic division, comprising the States of Della
ware, Maryland, District of Columbia, Vir-
| ginia, West Virginia, North Carolina. South
| Carolina. Georgia and Florida, has only
1920, 455, or 7.79 per cent; the North Central,
comprising the States of Ohio, Indiana, ILL.,
nois, Michigan, Wisconsin, Minnesota,
Iowa, Missouri, North Dakota. South Da-
kota, Nebraska and Kansas, comes next to
the North Atlantic division with an urban
population of 5,791 ,272 or 41.79 per cent; the
South Central division, comprising the
| States of Kentucky. Tennessee, Alabama,
Mississippi. Louisiana Texas, Indian Terri
tory, Oklahoma and Arkansas, has but
1,147,147. or 6.29per cent; and the Western
division, comprising the States and terrific
ries of Montana. Wyoming, Colorado, New
Mexico, Arizona, Utah, Nevada, Idaho
Alaska. Washington, Oregon and California,
is at the foot of the list, with but 900, $40. or
494 per cent.
In the North Atlantic division more than
| one-half the population is contained in cities
| of 5000 inhabitants or more, and during the
last decade the urban population in this
division has increased 1888 per cent. while
the total population has increased but 1895
per cent, disclosing strong tendency to
move from country to city. In four States
Of this division, Maine, Vermont, Massachu-
sets and New York, the numerical increase
in the urban population is greater than the
increase in the total population, so that in
these States the rural population has actu-
ally diminished in number. The North Gen.
trail division discloses the same tendencies,
even more strongly. Here the urban popu-
latlon has nearly doubled. while the total
population has increased but 28.7S per cent
The tendency is much less marked in the
South Atlantic and South Central division,
the increase in urban population in these
divisions in the last decade being but 10 per
cent. In the Western division there has
been an increase of urban population over
the rural population, but compared with the
North Atlantic division 1t is very slight.
| These differences in the different sections
are explained largely by the employments of
the people. Wherever commerce arg ' ii Il, 4.
features have been rapidly extending, as in
New England and the Middle States, there
the tendency of population is to flow into
the cities, the employments of commerce and
manufactures proving more attractive or
remunerative than those of agriculture.