Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1899-1903, 1900-11-15
CENTER OF POPULATION.
is Moving Westward, Statement to
the Contrary Notwithstanding.

Washington, Nov. 14.-Westward
the star of empire still wends its way.
The census of 1900 will show the CEN
ter of population of the United States
has moved some distance nearer the
Pacific coast. Eastern newspapers
have published statement that the
center of population has ceased its
westward march and will now either
remain stationary or retrace its steps
toward the Atlantic.
But this is not true. Officials of the
census Office say the pivotal point of
the great American population is still
following the sun in It's course and
keeping pace with Bishop Berkeley's
star of prophecy.
The westward movement of this
most interesting mathematic spot has
not been as great during the decade
just ended as in past decades. but it
is highly important to know that the
trend of the past hundred years has
not come to a full stop with the close
of the nineteenth century.
From data already in hand it is
roughly estimated that the center Of
population during the last decade has
j been about twenty miles to the west
and eight miles to the north of the
center of 1890. Ten years ago the
/ center was near the town of Green's
! burg, Ind. 1t is now in the vicinity of
Columbus, Ind, probably not more
than six or seven miles from that city
/ in a northerly direction. Only the Off
clal calculations upon the completion
OF the census can accurately locate it,
but this is near enough for all prac.
tical purposes.
| The westward march of the center
of population since the foundation of
the republic is shown IN the following
table:
l1790-Twenty-three miles east of
! Baltimore, Md $50. ...... ..
1SO0-Eighteen miles west of Bal
timore, Md. . Al
I1S10-Forty miles northwest by
west Of Washington, d. C..... sc
I182O-sixteen miles north of
/ Woodstock, Va. ..... .. SO
1840-Sixteen miles south of
/ Clarksburg, w. Va. -. St
4 1S5O-Twenty-three miles south
east of Parkersburg, w. Va. -. st
l1860-Twenty miles south of Chill
i licothe, ONO ....... .'......... 81
Forty-eight miles east by
nortn OF CINCINNATI, OhlO.. 49,. AZ
18S0-Eight miles west by south of
4 Cincinnati, Ohio ...... $500. IS
1890-Twenty miles east of Co.
lumbus, Ind 49,. considerations. 4S
1900-Seyen miles north of Colum.
bus, Ind $3.50. ...... ...... 2(
i 1t is curious fact that the growth
of population east of the old center
might in any given decade be greater
than the growth of population west o.
the old center, and yet the new center
be found still farther west.
This is true because the center o.
population depends wholly upon lne
distribution of the 76,0O0,0OO units O
which the mass is composed. An in
crease of 1000 in the population 5O(
miles west of the old center exactl!
fcounterbalances an increase of 5000 il
, the population 100 miles east of the OLE
center.
The center of population of the Unit
ed States is ascertained by an as
sumption that the whole area of tn,
country is a plane, like board, ant
lnat every unit counts the same as ev
cry other unit, except for it's distanc,
from the assumed center. Where Il
the pivotal point at which the plan,
! could be supported with all the peepl
Of the United States exactly counter
balancing one another and keeping tn
, plane at a perfect horizontal?