The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1892-05-13
now WE LIVE.

! results of lis enumeration, interesting facts
! come 10 light The fetal population Of the
country in 1890 was 81, 622, $50. These per-
| sons were distributed into 1860 152 fam
! lilies, at the rate of 494 persons to family
! This is slightly above the ratio between per-
| sons and voters. Ten years ago the families
were rather larger, the number of persons to
each family being 5.04; and the preceding
censuses show that the size Of families has
been gradually diminishing In 1850 there
were $50 persons to a family.
The dminution has not been uniform, it
being most marked in the older States some
of the Western States show an increase.
For instance, in Maine and New Hampshire
the average number of persons to a family
is 4.40 and 81 respectively, while in the
Southern States the average is 5.2j to $50.
Among the Western States, Utah and Wy
Oming show a higher average than the
country at large, the figures being $50 and
sos respectively, while New Mexico and
Arizona only report averages Of 433 and 4.42
members to a family. California approx
mates to the average Of the whole country
with a membership Of 492 10 each family
New Mexico has as low an average as New
Hampshire and Maine. In the one case the
phenomenon is due TO the large number Of
adventures; in the other 20 the migration Of
young men from the Eastern TO the Western
States. Throughout the East and South
families were larger in 1850 than they are
now; they we're, OF course, much smaller in
the West. In 1850 the average size Of FAM
lilies in California was 3.77 persons. The
States where families are largest are the
Gulf States-Texas, Mississippi, Louisiana
and Alabama, and Tennessee and Kentucky
are not far behind. The presence of the
freedman dsturbs the normal proportion.
II IS curious to observe how closely the
number of occupied dwellings approximates
to the number Of families or, in other
words, how nearly every family occupies its
own house. The total number of families,
as stated above, is L, 800, 152; the total num-
Der Of occupied dwellings is II, 483, 3l8.
There are just ]. 2C6, 834 more families than
dwelling-houses the difference represents
persons wholive in tenement-ho houses, hotels,
farmhouses aud other aggregatiOns Of hui
manity under one roof. This again varies
with locality Ia the country at large
there area. 10 persons to each dwelling; there
were nearly persons TO a dwelling in
1850. But In New York, Massachusetts and
Rhode Island, the average to dwelling is
! o.
ratio being due to the prevalence of tene-
ment-hOuse. boarding house and factory
life. Pennsylvania is an exception. 1t is
the fashion in that State for every man to
own his house if he can, and the average
inmates to each house are 5.26, less than the
aver ge for the whole country. There ap-
pears TO be no crowding in the old slave
States, where cabins are abundant and land
cheap, and when We come TO the Western
States the average number OF inmates to
each house is less than the general average
for the country at large. The average in
California is only 512, in 1880 it was 5.37.
but at the previous censuses 1t was less
than it is IN Nevada 1t is 4 10, which tells
a tale Of depopuaiion, and in New Mexico
and Arizona it is l. 43 and Az respectively.
The proportion between inmates to build
ings in cities, of course, varies widely. In
San Francisco there are 6.34 people to a
/ building, the proportion of people to each
family being 500. In New York the aver
age number of inmates to each dwelling is
three times as great, or 1882, the proportion
OF persons to z family being only 4S4. This
tells story Of overer0wding. At Boston
and FAN River. Mass. the average inmates
/ Of each dwelling number So and 1L20;
/ and HobOkeD, n. j., which is a suburb OF
/ New York, contains an average of 11.50
! persons in each building. By contrast with
/ this the buildings in Philadelphia only con-
tain an average or 50 each, while the build
ings In Chicago contain an average Of $50
each. Philadelphia contains more than
twice as many buildings as New York, and
half again as many as Chicago. 1t is curl
Gus 10 note that San Francisco and Omaha
contain a larger proportion of families of
! over ten members than any other cities In
the country.
The tendency in the East is for several
| families to gather under one roof. and the
| increase Of t-houses in this city show that
the same inclination prevails hera to some
extent. In New York only u per cent of
the population occupy a whole house. only
/ $50 per cent occupy half house, and sos
per cent live in houses which shelter three
/ families or more. This is a marked con-
/ trast TO Philadelphia, where 8464 per cent
/ Of the people live in houses by themselves.
/ In this city 43, 4lS families occupy their
/ houses exclusively; there are 3765 houses
/ which are occupied by two families or more.
/ The tenement-bOuse system has never taken
! root here. though San Francisco is said to
! be a city Of hotels, clearinghouse aud
/ restaurants.
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