The Lakeland evening telegram. (Lakeland, Fla.) 1911-1922, 1915-11-27
THE CENTER OF POPULATION

Ahe majority OF people understand
the center of population to mean a
point somewhere in the country with
exactly the same number of people
! living east of it as west, north as
south, and so on, for all other direc-
lions. This is not the case. how
ever. II we divide the country into
four parts by a line drawn east and
west and another north and south
through the present center of popu-
iation, the northern section will
contain about thirty-four million
people. while the opposite section,
the southwest, will contain about
fifteen million. The northwest and
southern sections will each contain
twenty-one million. From these fig
ures it will be seen that forty-nine
million live east Of the center of
population, and forty-two million
live east of it.
In determining the center of popu-
lation the masses If the population
are weighed against one another, ac-
cording to their distance from the
centei of population is analogous to
pivotal point on which the popu-
lation is balanced. For this rea-
son a single individual on the Pa
cific coast, for example, balances sew
eral living near the center of pop
ulation. A resident of Omaha, for
example. could quadruple his popu-
lation weight by simply moving out
to Los Angeles.
This appears to be an illogical
method Of determining the center of
population, but it about the only
practical method possible. According
to the 1910 census the center falls
at Bloomington, Ind, but the actual
center, on an east and west line,
would fall somewhere in Ohio.
The population map shows how
the center has moved westward from
decade to decade, under each cen
sus. II has bobbed up and down
but in general it has kept
pretty close to the same east and
west line. The biggest jump made |
westward was between 1850 and |
1860. after the discovery of gold in
california and the opening up of the
great territory of the west. Since
The west is now fairly we'll settled
and the tide Of immigration in that
direction has diminished, the west
ward movement of the center will
probably be much slower in the flu
ure than in the past.
In 1890 the center of population
vas about twenty-three miles east of
Baltimore, Md. Its location and
movement in a direct line for the
ucceeding census years have been as
ollows: 1900, IS miles west of Bal
moved 40 miles; 1910, 40 !;
allies northwest of Washington, d.
- moved 80 miles; 1920, 16 miles s
orth of Woodstock, Va, moved SO
lilies; 1880, 10 miles west-south-
'est of Moorfield, w. ", moved 40
lilies; 1910, 16 miles south of :
Harrisburg, W. Va, moved 55 miles;
$50, 23 miles southeast og Parksrs-
lrg, W. ", moved SIS miles; 1860,
miles south of Chillicothe, O.,
owed 80 miles; 1870, As miles east
north of Cincinnati, O., moved A
lies; 1880, s miles west of Gin
matt. moved So miles; 1890, 20 \
lies east of Columbus, Ind, moved
miles; 1900, 6 miles southeast of
Ind. moved IA miles;
10. in Bloomington, Ind, moved s
miles. The census bureau has
timated that the population of the. Z
unity PASSED the 100000, OUO =
ark last April, and that the center 3
population has moved westward
to the State of Illinois.-Path- z
der. =