The News-Herald. [volume] (Hillsboro, Highland Co., Ohio) 1886-1973, 1905-12-21
RUSH TOWARDS CITY
POPULATION OF RURAL NEW
YORK COUNTIES DECLINES,
No Other State in the Union Shows
Such Large Falling OF in
This Respect--Some of
the Causes.

Twenty-one of the 6l counties Of
New York had fewer inhabitants by
the census of 1900 than they had by
the census of 1890. These counties.
which include one-haf of the area Of
the state. showed a falling off in ten
years ranging from a few hundreds of
inhabitants in some small counties. to
several thousands In some OF the
larger ones.
Essex county. in northern New York.
| for instance declined from $4,000 TO
30.7OD in the ten years. Wayne coun-
| ty, in western New York. famous for
apples and mint, declined from 49,700
10 4S.600.
by many persons this decline in
population was attributed to the con-
tinuance between 1898 and 1897 Of
period of industrial hard times, the
general effect of which is to- diminish
population in rural or spm.rural dis
tricts. In such times. the domaud for
employment being decreased and tho
provision for public relief in farming
counties being small the larger cities
are sought by needy persons. and these
conditions are reflected in the ensuing
census.
The years between 1900 and 1875
having been marked by prosperity and
abundance throughout the state. IL
was supposed that the decline in pop
ulation in interior counties would
cease. that some of the former loss
would be regained and that, perhaps.
improved conditions would be reelected
in the census figures OF this year,
which show the entire population OF
New York to be more than 100000,
an increase of IL per cent. compared
with the census of five years ago.
Instead of this. however, the recent.
ly completed state census shows that
81 of the 81 counties have fewer in
habitants than they had five years
ago. Some of those which show the
largest decrease in five years are
Chemung, which includes the city of
Elmira, heretofore one of the largest
manufacturing towns in the southern
tier, and Steuben, one of the most fer
tile of the farming counties in the
same region. The falling on in Che
mung in five years was 2,45S. and in
steuben l,007.
Some of the counties of the state
years show at least very little gain.
one OF these is Duchess which in.
cludes the city OF Poughkeepsie, and
which is one Of the best known of the
dairy and farming counties of the
state. Five years ago the population
was S1,G70; this year it is 81 ,6s9-a
gain of 10 persons.
Delaware county, the chief distinc.
ton of which is that IL includes more
prohibition territory than any other
county in New York, has increased
from 4G.415 to 46.7SS only during five
years Of enormous state growth.
Among other counties which have
lost in population in the last five years
are Otsego, famed for hops; Oswego.
noted for starch and starch works.
Clinton, which includes the city OF
Plattsburg; Schoharie; Cayuga. which
includes the city Of Ithaca; Greene,
which includes the city OF Catskill.
Hamilton in the Adirondacks, Fulton
and Madison counties in the interior,
and Wayne, which increases its agri-
cultural products every year, but con
tinues TO lose steadily in population.
No other state of the country has so
large proportion OF counties which
are falling behind in population as
New York, that is, none OF the larger
states. The explanation of these
changes Is found probably in the enor-
nous increase in manufacturing inter.
ests.
In five years Schenectady has
jumped from 10000 TO 1000 popula-
tion, Rockland from $4,000 to $4,000,
Niagara from $4,000 to $4,000 and
Westchester from $4,000 to 22S, 900.
In Is years the population of New
York has increased u per cent, yet
one-third Of the counties have, fewer
Inhabitants than they had Is years
ago.