New-York tribune., 1902-01-19
THE GROWTH OF CITIES.
CENSUS FIGURES. WHICH. THE DIRECTOR
SAYS. SEEM PARADOXICAL

SAYS. SEEM PARADOXICAL-
Washington Jan. I.-The Director OF the Census
To-day made public a statement regarding the
growth of urban population North and South
which shows that the large cities taken coIlec-
lively. are growing nearly twice as fast as the rest
of The country: the percentage Of the population
= Northern States living in large cities IS nearly
threc times as great as the corresponding per
cc-tlCe IN the South. the North has rate Of in
CTease 70 greater than that Of the South. The
large cities n the North are growing much faster
than those Of the same size in the South. but this
ference is balanced by extremely rapid growth
O. small towns and cities in the South and espe-
cally BY the high rate CT increase Of Southern
rural population.
The statement says these results seem paradox
cal, but they are correct
Director Merrian's statement IS designed TO ex-
plain how The deduction that the South for the
first time is growing as rapidly the North har-
monies, with the well known facts that in the
North the proportion Of Inhabitants living in cities
is much larger than il is IN the South, and that
q rule cities increase il population much more
rapidly than country districts
The statement shows that in the North the pro
portion q the population living in large cities IS
more than three times as great il IS in the
South The population living in cities OF over 5000
Inhabitants increased A per cent between 1896 and
1870 partly by the growth Of the l24 cities Of that
SIZE IN lsJ and partly by the addition in the fol-
lowing ten years of thrty-six other cities to the
st The population Of the country outside OF these
cities increased between 1880 and 1900 I49 per cent
The l6l cities OF the United States each OF which
tad over 5000 Inhabitants in 1900 increased in
population 225 Per cent between 1890 and 1900: the
rest q the United States excluding Alaska and the
recert insC!ar sccessiOns. Increased IL per cent
% the total population Of = Is4 575 in continental
United States ls.7ls.3l2. z5s per cent. live in
CITES q &.pY Inhabitants or more. The proper
non OF Inhabitants Of the three sections, the
North. South and West into which the census
G'loes the United States. follows:
Aorth-Total population =. .279 ss9; population Of
eyes Of $50 or more. $3.50 or 81 per cent.
Sell5-Iota-. 24,523521; cities OF 5000 more
80 ~53, or lo per cent
y, nM,,esztt-ToJal 4o9l34s; cities Of 5000 or more
-ss5,lis, or p per cent.
ne per cent q increase OF population living IN
-ates ot sizes indicated from 1890 1860 by sec
Tons. follows
o twenty-five thousand and ove--North 20 South
a. Aest 81; IN the United States, Il.
,-I3gft thousand TO 25.gc0-NOrth % I South &c g.;
"Ssl 4-s. ~ The United States. 81
NJ our thousand 10 6.09J-Norih, 27.G: South s73;
"sst, oJIf IN the United States. 367.
incorporated places Of less than s.g10-NOrth. q g;
Syg-lh -, West. So, in the United States. %.
49, cr-h, Z. South, 175. West. %; the
I115lec States. -.
1he figures the statement concludes show that
1e @ present growth Of population is a resultant in
s -NcftE ~ a very rapid growth Of large cities,
ooy"ef growth Of smal! cities and a very slight
s-oMtA II the country. and q resultant in the
oo-lb =! rate ot growth Of large cities below the
e.tIage Tor the country, balanced by q striking
kogulSuon twice fast as the average for the
United States