The Dawson news. (Dawson, Ga.) 1889-current, 1921-04-26
CITY Population Greatest.

More than one-haf of the people OF the
United States live in cities and towns of 2,5OC
or more population. This is the first time this
condition has prevailed in the country While
the census bureau does not try to account for
the drift to the cities officials in the bureau
attribute it largely to the great war. Before
the United States entered the conflict the
large wages paid by urban industries had at
tracted thousands from the farms, and sparse
| ly settled communities were drained OF all the
men that could be spared, well as many
girls and women who were attracted by high
wages and the prospect OF more amusement.
! The men who entered the army were fed
upon one kind of excitement and another, and
the prosaic life they had left behind lacked
the appeal to insure their return. There was
touch of prophecy in the popular song,
How Are You Going to Keep Them Down
on the FARM" Last summer and during the
early autumn, when the employment prob
lem first began to manifest itself, farmers
could not get the required amount of help.
However with thousands of men being
thrown out of employment it began to dawn
on some OF them that work a farm was
not to be despised The farmers this year are
getting competent help at lower wages than
have prevailed for the last two or three years
The 1920 census shows that 54,318,432 per-
sons are living in the cities, against 5l,39O,739
on the farms and in rural communities. In
only three states-Colorado, Wyoming and
Montana-has the percentage Of rural popula-
ton gained on the urban. This is accounted
for by the fact that the new corners to these
in
country
Rhode Island has the highest percentage
of urban jewellers, 97.5. These figures are
striking, as it would hardly seem that in any
state G75 persons of every 100 would live
in cities and towns of more than $500 Taking
the small towns and villages out of the re-
naming IS per cent: it leaves an absurdly
small number of persons on farms. Massa-
chusetts follows Rhode Island in the percent
age OF urban jewellers with 94.3, followed by
New York with 827 per cent; New Jersey
with 1871; California with 68 per cent. and
Illinois with go per cent.
New York leads all the states in the num-
Der OF city jewellers with $3.50 844, followed
by Pennsylvania, Illinois, Ohio, Massachu
sets and New Jersey in the order named. In
rural population Texas leads, with 3150539,
followed by Pennsylvania, Georgia, Ohio and
Illinois in that order. Texas has an urban
population of 1,512689, showing that the Lone
Star state has some warrant for being little
pulled up with regard to population as well
as to its area. The fact that Pennsylvania,
with 3,l12,202, is second in rural population
is worthy OF note, since the Keystone state
is not looked upon as leading agricultural
state. This showing is undoubtedly due to the
fact that the state contains many towns of
less than $500
Based on percentage Mississippi leads in
rural population with 800 per cent, followed
by North Dakota, with 86.3 per cent; South
Dakota "a per cent; Arkansas 1874 per cent;
South Carolina 82.5 per cent. and New MeXi-
co 80 per cent
OF Georgia's population of 2,895,S32 souls
70 per cent. live in rural communities, the
small towns and on farms.