New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1900-09-02
nRRAN GROWTH SINCE 1890.


With the census schedules footed up for the
largest thirty cities In the country. it is pos
sible to note some of the more striking feat-
ures of urban growth during the last ten years
In view of the strenuous race which American
cities make for standing in the decennlal pop
ulation tables. the changes which nave oc-
Cured in relative rank will naturally attract
the widest attention. The consolidation Oh
New-York and Brooklyn has eliminated since
1890 one city of the first class, enabling all De-
low the million mark to rise one undlsputed
point In the population scale. New-York, now
Greater New-York." again distances, OF
course all possible competitors. with a popu-
lation larger than that of her two nearest
rivals combined Chicago and Philadelphia, OF
the cities of the first class, retain their relative
nositions of ten years ago-second and third
though Chicago's actual gain has been about
twice PhladeIphia's. OF the three cities next
In order in 1890, st. Louis still leads with
population of $4,000. Boston again is second,
with 560000 and both have drawn percepdbly
away from Baltimore, with 50S,OOO. san
Francisco and Cincinnati, next in rank to Bal
timore ten years ago. have been displaced by
Cleveland and Buffalo. Pittsburg has passed
New-Orleans, and is treading on the heels OF
Cincinnati Detroit and Milwaukee have both
pushed up ahead of Washington, and are al
ark and Jersey City have neither gained nor
lost rank, but Louisville has displaced Mime
apolis Providence has jumped four points,
passing Omaha Rochester, st. Paul and Kan
sas City, while Indianapolis has outgrown all
these and Denver as well. Kansas City has
outstripped Omaha, st. Paul and Rochester.
Toledo has passed Omaha, Allegheny City and
Columbus. Rochester has lost four points IN
the scale and gained one, passing Omaha. Ne
braska's chief city is the only one on the list
to report an absolute loss In population, and its
slump of 1887 has pushed it back ten places,
with a prospect of still further retrogression
as the returns from other smaller cities come in.
The thirty cities reported have made net
gain in population of about 100000, almost 81
per cent. The percentage Of gain has varied
widely in various centres Toledo reports the
largest rate Of increase-61.SS indianapolis
comes next with 60.44, Chicago third with
54.A, Cleveland fourth with 4607. Columbus
fifth with 42.44, Milwaukee sixth with 1854
and New-York seventh with 1912 Cincinnati
shows the smallest percentage of growth-9,77.
But San Francisco, Baltimore and New-Orleans
had percentages respectively of only 14.64.
17.15 and 1852. 1t is noteworthy that so great
gains should have been achieved by the cities
of the Great Lakes basin-Buffalo, Cleveland,
Toledo, Columbus, Indianapolis, Detroit, NIL
waukee and Chicago-while the ratio for wide
~ separated ocean ports like San Francisco,
New Orleans Baltimore and Boston should
have been so surprisingly moderate. But gen.
civilizations as to the causes of such variations
are likely to be deceptive. Two Ohio Valley
towns like Cincinnati and Louisville should
presumably have responded to the same infu-
ences of growth or stagnation. Yet Cincinnatis
increase in population was only GIT per cent
while Louisville's was 27.06. The returns from
towns like ST. Paul, Minneapolis, Omaha, Kan
sas City and Denver seem to show, however
that the mushroom expansion of the last two
decades has stopped. and that the boom"
cities of the Mississippi and Missouri valleys
are settling down to an even slower growth
than their Middle Western rivals
Just complaint is made by many cities that
have lost in rank that census population figures
are not always sure test Of a community's
relative Importance or commercial greatness
State lines and other artificial barriers often
rob centre Of population of much of its Iegit-
innate growth. New-Yorl1 threw down most of
these barriers by means of the Consolidation
act but cities like Philadelphia, Cincinnati
Louisville, st. Louis, Kansas City and Omaha
| still lament the fact that thousands Of persons
| who have part in their commercial and In
| dustrial life are counted as inhabitants of an
other State or municipal Jurisdiction In the
MAN, however the changes in rank eff
| fected by the enumeration of 1900 will be ac-
cepted as fair measure of the relative prog
| ress made In the great centres Of population
| North, South, East and West.