Watauga Democrat. [volume] (Boone, Watauga County, N.C.) 1888-current, 1920-11-25
4 LETTER FROM PROF. R. n. BROWN,


marked that Watauga's rather
bad showing in the recent CEN
sus figures is due to our loss OF
territory to Avery. 1t is true that
but for that loss the county would
not have shown an actual decrease
in population. AS it is the fig-
ures show a loss of SO persons, or
O.6 per cent. A study OF the flg-
ures by townships, however fur
nish food for thought. The aver
age natural increase for the state,
that is the excess of births over
deaths, for the 10 year period
was about 1S per cent. The nat,
ural increase for Watauga was y
per cent. Now let's see what
happened in the townships not
affected by the creation of Avery
County. And to understand bet
ter the drift of the population cur
rent for the county, we will take
also the figures for the last TWEEN.
ty years. Within the last census
period, Bald Mountain gained
14.4 per cent. This is not only
below the natural increase, but it
is below her gain for thepreceed-
ing ten years. Her total gain for
twenty years is S7.5 per cent.
Beaver Dam gained 14.6 per cent
but in twenty years she has gain
ed only 8.S per cent. Blowing
Rock gained 7.9 per cent, but in
twenty years she has lost 0.S per
cent. Blue Ridge lost 7.9 per
cent, and now has only 8 tenths
as many people as she had TWEEN.
ty years ago. Boone gained 1873
per cent, the largest gain in the
County with the exception OF Wa
tauga. In the previous ten years
she had lost 2.5 per cent and her
gain for twenty years is only 1872
per cent. Cove Creek lost IA
per cent and has now 6.l per cent
fewer people than in 1900. Elk
gained 14.6 per cent, but in TWEEN.
ty years has gained only 6.3 per
cent. Laurel Creek loses in the
report, but l believe she lost in
the readjustment caused by the
creation Of Avery county. Her
loss is shown at 1.2 per cent
Meat Camp shows q gain of l3.a
per cent, which is larger than her
gain for the previous ten years
Her gain for 20 years is 20.9 pei
cent. North Fork lost IL per Ct
audi in two decades she has lost
1913 per cent. Shawneehaw was
practically recreated after the
formation Of Avery so the figures
for that township mean nothing
Stony Fork, gained Ill per cent
AMI in twenty years 14.4 per CEN
WAtauga gained 38 per cent. Ir
13O0-10 she lost 2.3 per cent.
townships besides Laurel Creel
actually lost. Only one shows in
CT ease above the birth rate. Only
/ two have made in twenty years
q gain equal to the natural In
crease for ten years.
What do the figures show9 II
the first place they show that 1
la.ge per cent Of the county
his been going somewhere else
Everyone who is familiar will
the county knows that they hav
been the younger and more Pre-
gressive, for the. most part. Th
loss, therefore, has been evel
greater than the figures indicate
Batwhile the county still show
q retarded population increase
the retardation in 1910.1920 wa
not 30 great as in 1900.1910. Thi
seems to disprove the theory 9
or calamity howlers that II
creased taxes for public improve
ments drive people away. Th
mere beginning Of such improve
ments seem to have checked tn
moving away.
Take the two townships tina
made comparatively creditabl
showings. Wstanga's increase,