Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-08-17
Census Reveals Unusual Changes
BY FREDERIC J. H.4SKIN.

indeed, all of it. except for some mil
lionaires' suburban developments, had to
be based on some industrial growth
forming a background Of employment
for the people. From whatever cause,
new localities sprang up in unexpected
places and fortunes were made over
night in land speculation.
Florida is the prime example. Florida
did not acquire a new climate In the
last decade. She grew no more palm
trees nor was the sunshine any brighter
than in the previous century. Florida
per Sc was not responsible for the boom;
it was the adventurous spirit Of the
decade. Yet the State gained 5l.4 per
cent In population in 10 years. This is
phenomenal for a booming town, but
for an entire State to show such gain
is fantastic. Her population went from
968 470 in 1920 to Ass, 969 in 1880.
Many Boom Towns.
The boom towns largely were re-
sponsible. Take Miami. 1t had
population of 29,27l in 1920; today 1t
has 1l0,514. In 1920 West Palm Beach
had 1859; in 1880 it has 26,613. ST.
Augustine disputes with Santa Fe,
NJ Mex, for the honor of being the
oldest city in the United States. 1t is
centuries old: was a city known in Eu-
rope before the Pilgrims landed in New
England or the English colonists IN
Virginia. Yet 1t scarcely grew at all
during the centuries up to 1920, but
in the decade following 1t rose from
6,192 to IL ,930-nearly doubled. How
the Spanish gold seekers and the
cowled monks would have stared at the
miracle!
Yet, on the other hand, the beautiful
city of Pensacola, famous in American
naval history. gained only 400 people In
has 31,455 now. Key West actually
lost population. They are examples of
the wayWardness of the age.
Then, at the other side of the con-
tinent is to be found California, the
climate of which also has been men,
toned When gold was discovered at
Suffers Mill, in 1849. there was SUBJ
stantial rush of adventurous persons to
the place. No one is quite sure what
happened at Berkeley Hills in the last
decade Yet Suffers Mill never had
any such experience as rise from STA
in 1920 to 17,428 In 1880, as did that
little California town.
These places with well-spoken-of
climates do not fully answer the ques-
ton. Cleveland. Ohio, is bleak city
in Winter-20 below zero sometimes.
4eG shaker F1eIgnGS grew 1TOm l,o1o IN
1920 to 1892 in 1930-purely a real
estate development.
In long-range study of the effects
of these movements perhaps the growth
of the Southern cities is of greater i'm
! port. The invasion of the South by
Northern capital and the awakening of
Southern industries from a sort of
Brunhilde sleep at the touch of this
magic decade have been phenomenal.
Chattanooga, Tenn. has been a pleas
ant. quiet, half-somnolent city for
many observation-disclosures, ade-
quately prosperous. But in 1920 1t was
town of but 1896. Today it has
1889 And it all happened in 10
years And there Is Houston. Tex In
1920 Houston's population was 1925,
while the 1880 census shows 2S9 ,42S.
Both cities more than doubled. They
had had the same resources all these
years; the climate of neither changed.
Nor was gold found at either place.
Tt was the work of the miraculous
decade
Even Westerville, Ohio. birthplace
and home of the Anti-Saloon League.
gained few people, rising from 2.480
in 1920 to 1855 in 1880. 1t is not
stated in the census returns whether
all of these recruits are drys.