‘Too many old people’: A rural Pa. town reckons with population loss
‘Too many old people’: A rural Pa. town reckons with population loss
There is a deepening sense of fear as population loss accelerates in rural America. The decline of small-town life is expected to be a looming topic in the presidential election.
There is a deepening sense of fear as population loss accelerates in rural America. The decline of small-town life is expected to be a looming topic in the presidential election.
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America’s rural population began contracting about a decade ago, according to statistics drawn from the U.S. Census Bureau.
A whopping 81 percent of rural counties had more deaths than births between 2019 and 2023, according to an analysis by a University of New Hampshire demographer. Experts who study the phenomena say the shrinking baby boomer population and younger residents having smaller families and moving elsewhere for jobs are fueling the trend.
According to a recent Agriculture Department estimate, the rural population did rebound by 0.25 percent from 2020 to 2022 as some families decamped from urban areas during the pandemic.
But demographers say they are still evaluating whether that trend will continue, and if so, where. Pennsylvania has been particularly afflicted. Job losses in the manufacturing and energy industries that began in the 1980s prompted many younger families to relocate to Sun Belt states. The relocations helped fuel population surges in places like Texas and Georgia. But here, two-thirds of the state’s 67 counties have experienced a drop in population in recent years.
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This rural Pennsylvania town could get a huge population boom if they had a "we welcome queer people and migrants and we don't tolerate hate" policy they announced to the world.
But of course, that's way too far for them.
Really? That's your go-to glib answer? No discussion about education opportunities or job prospects? No question about why the downturn was really noted in 2014? Just immediately jumping to the conclusion that rural people MUST be hateful?
Disappointing.
Look I'm from such a small Pennsylvania town. Rural Appalachian. Coal mines and specialty steel production most notably.
Both of you are right, and the problems feed back into each other to some extent.
After my family migrated west more than a decade ago, every single time we go back to PA to visit family, attend a funeral and so forth — it just keeps looking more and more run down. Honestly the place is a shit-hole nowadays. I'm sad to see my old county went for Trump by 70%. You couldn't pay me enough to move my family back.
The young, educated, smart, and compassionate folks leave and GTFO asap — both for jobs, and for more diversity and tolerance. The sad part is I remember watching a slew of documentaries in the early 2000s forewarning of what would happen to these small-towns...
- Because of shipping manufacturing off elsewhere.
- Because of big box corporate eating up local shops, eroding community and draining out the money.
- Because administrations were unwilling to break the hard news that things like coal mines wouldn't last forever and we'd have to help retrain and get them to new modern job sectors.
No doubt these communities feel the pressures they're complaining about; they've just been exploited by right-wing media about who is responsible: the southern migrant more desperate than them, the trans, the homosexuals, the liberals, etc...
@FlyingSquid is also right that there is FAR more bigotry among these communities as well; and that ties back to not being well-traveled, our education system collapsing, and the right-wing fearmongering machine.
Edit: Shit, Inside Out 3 should be about being inside the head of a MAGA supporter.
Inside Out 3 should be about being inside the head of a MAGA supporter.
Pixar doesn't make horror movies.
It would just be five Rage characters screaming at each other.
Knocked it out of the park with this comment.
Sincerely,
Someone originally from the same town as you, basically.
Uhhhhh, I don't care much for their response either but like a solid 80% of rural houses are flying trump flags, even in states like new york. You can pretty safely assume that old rural people are hateful.
You're right, it's probably one of those rural Republican-voting towns full of residents who love queer people and migrants.
I left because of the bigotry and hate. I work remotely and don't have kids. That is the only thing stopping me.
Diversity leads to education opportunities and jobs. Hate and discrimination are the reason there are no jobs and shitty education. Please stop white washing our society. The hate is a cancer.
When someone shows you who they are, believe them the first time...and every time after.
These assholes don't change.
That was true of the small Ohio town I grew up in. Tons of anti-semitism, racism, hatred of non-straights, hatred of non-christians, etc. Most of the jobs were in agriculture and manufacturing. I no longer live in the US but, if I had to move back, I don't think you could pay me enough to live in that place again.
This thread is filled with close minded, bigoted people shitting on people for being close minded and bigoted. It would be funny if it wasn't so terribly tragic.
But you seem new here. This is pretty typical for Lemmy. So I guess I should say welcome. Lol
The existence of close minded, bigoted people automatically renders them in violation of just about every societal norm and contract.
Punching a racist/homophobe/terf/Mazi is always justified. Their existence is a threat to others because of their beliefs.
Would you tell an abused spouse to tolerate or be less close minded about being hit or emotionally abused?
Go f off with your fence sitting.
You're confusing my lack of a double standard with fence sitting.
One person being bigoted and close minded doesn't preclude other people from also being bigoted and close minded.
I could be a racist piece of shit and drop the n word. If a black person then turns around and calls all white people racist pieces of shit, we're both bigots.
I'm not tolerating bigotry, I'm calling it all out. It's you, right here, that's defending bigotry. Not me.
I could be a racist piece of shit and drop the n word. If a black person then turns around and calls all white people racist pieces of shit, we're both bigots
Except... 2 people being assholes when the power dynamic is still very stilted is NOT a level playing field. Context matters. You're not some enlightened sigma with this hot take.
Suffer a few generations of systemic oppression and you might get the parity you think you have
I didn't say the playing field was level; I understand that I've been granted many benefits due to my race and sex.
I said they are both bigots. Are you really arguing that a black guy saying all white people are pieces of shit is not a bigot?
But youre analog doesnt working with most social bigotries. There arent many folks who are say gay or trans who hate cis or straught folks. Sure an antifascist may want to set a Nazi on fire and watch them slowly die, but the track record of fascists as a whole is covered in so much blood ya cant see a record.
The closest ya may get is someone like myself who hates say the Seventh Day Adventist to the point that it seems like bigotry, but even then bigotry is usually irrational I hate them because of a long list of slights both big and small against my family going back a hundred years. Also theyre cultists.
Ya aint calling out a double standard, tolerance is a social contract if broken civility is right out. When we dont have civility we have savager, the rules of savagery is violence be it social, verbal, economic, psychological, or physical.
The defence against your claim is the Tolerance Paradox
I'm not saying to be tolerant of intolerance. This thread is filled with people shitting on people from rural areas, and being extremely prejudiced.
I don't think rural towns are depopulating due to hate or discrimination... it's mostly because of job prospects, no?
Obviously my own experience is entirely anecdotal, but I think relevant to the point. I work 100% remotely, I just need a decent Internet connection. I currently live in a moderately sized city, and keeping up with the finances can be a struggle compared to the lower cost of rural living. However, I’m also a gay man, pro choice, I don’t care what two or more consenting adults do in the privacy of their home, etc. etc. etc. with all the usual liberal stuff.
The job prospects aren’t why I left the rural southeastern US, and they aren’t the reason I’ll never go back there.
These people were warned about the brain drain their bullshit would cause. I have no sympathy for them or their towns’ dwindling tax revenues.
Rural people also vote for the political party that helps to make sure that the devil high speed internet never comes to their town.
I don’t care what two or more consenting adults do in the privacy of their home, etc. etc. etc.
So they can put what drugs they want in their own body?
with all the usual liberal stuff.
Oh, never mind.
Most liberals I know are fine with legalizing most drugs so long as theyre regulated for safety reasons. But I cant tell if youre a dumb anarachist, a tankie or what so I dont get the point of your comment. Maybe elaborate if ya dont want to come across as... vapid I guess is the best word?
Likely a Tankie.
So they can put what drugs they want in their own body?
Is that supposed to be a gotcha?
I ONLY want Adults to put FDA Bribed drugs in their bodies!
With WFH I just need a small town with high speed internet. However, with kids, rural schools do not rank well.
I don't have kids at home anymore, but have online schools become a thing yet?
Seems to me like that's a huge opportunity to tailor school to every kid's ability, though the socialization would suffer. But plenty of kids come out of homeschooling just fine.
As long as the kids have other outlets for social interaction. We did online during covid and I wouldn't do it again.
My daughter is in online school, a public school in fact, and a WFH job would be difficult for me to hold because I have to spend all day supervising her, which is exhausting enough, and the job would have to be one I could do in the evenings.
So you just don't work at all?
They sure do post a lot on Lemmy for being a stay at home parent supervising their kid... 1670+ posts, 34500+ comments in 12 months. That's about 4 posts and 95 comments per day.
No, both because of that and because of a serious illness. But even if I didn't have the illness, I would be doing two jobs and not getting paid for one of them.
There are two sides to the equation though - depopulation and repopulation. Hate and discrimination may not be causing (most of) the exodus, but inclusion and acceptance could be part of the solution. I've known more than a few people who have wanted to move to rural areas but have avoided them for exactly that reason. The braver ones have made the move, but only as a group able to support and protect each other.
It’s a combination of both. Young women don’t want to stay in these places because they all vote Republican and all republicans are hate filled bigots who view women as property.
The women leave for greener pastures, and the young men are left with no job prospects and no one to date. They get up and leave as well.
Since all these towns are hate filled trash heaps, no money gets invested into them. The farms are all corpo owned and don’t need the town, the Dollar General employs two people, and the used car lot has not sold anything in four years. There is nothing to do in these places except lie about being disabled (this is very different than having a real disability) sponge off the government, then watch Fox News all day and mald.
Were about to move to a smaller but more queer friendly town for this exact reason. My city seems indifferent at best, and I'd like to live somewhere that actually likes us.
We're DINKs, we pay taxes, were good neighbors pretty much any way you look at it, but were visibly queer & barely feel tolerated here.
In what state is this 'smaller but more queer friendly town?' Because I'm guessing it's not rural PA.
Are you from rural PA?
Its not haha, its Bloomington IN. I cannot believe how queer that lil town is, its amazing
Really? I grew up there. Seriously. Born in Bloomington Hospital, went to BDLC, then Bloomington Montessori, then Batchelor Middle School, then BHS South (graduated in '95), then IU (dropped out because I'm a dummy). My mom still lives there, as do a ton of my friends.
It is definitely more queer friendly than a lot of towns, but you go over to the west side of town, a place like Highland Village, and you walk down the street holding hands with your boyfriend, you'll probably still get harassed at the very least.
There's still a ton of redneck townies there.
That said, I have the misfortune of living in Terre Haute and we're planning to retire in Bloomington (unless Trump wins, in which case we're using my dual citizenship to get the fuck out of here) and my daughter is queer, so I'm glad we'll be retiring in a place where she can basically feel safe.
What floors me is that Terre Haute got a Pride Center and had its first Pride celebration after fucking Spencer.
Well to be clear were in Ohio now, so my standards for 'queer/trans friendly' arent high, but the area we hang out in has been nicer than our current place, more affordable, everything we want.
Its no west Hollywood haha but its a start
Please don't tell me you are in Chillicothe, because I was there for a while too. (And North Hollywood rather than West, which is on the other side of a mountain range).
Further south, right on the KY border
It suuuuuuuuucks
Chillicothe sucked too. One bar and it was all country music and cowboy hats. Dudes, you're in fucking Ohio.
