Sunday, April 18, 2010

The Changing Demographics of North Carolina

As I drive along the roads, one of my habits is to check out the license plates on the cars around me. It is a small measure of who is visiting the area, or who has just moved into town. Usually you see plates from New York, Ohio, Michigan, and various New England States; but more frequently I've noticed California plates.

I am a transplanted Yankee. I first moved to Florida from a northern state; then moved to North Carolina. People like me have been given the moniker "half-backs" because we moved half way back home. I actually find that amusing.

I left my home state for a reason. I realized a long time ago that I can never go back. The state that I grew up in, where my family and friends live; is a financial nightmare. And the demographics demonstrate the disenchantment of those who have decided to leave it.

Michigan is a perfect example of how to economically screw up a state. The fiscal policies and entitlement mentality of the populace (through the actions of their state politicians) have hamstrung intrastate business, and discouraged others to relocate there. In 2009, Forbes.com published its annual "The best states for business," Michigan ranked 49th. The biggest factor for Michigan's low ranking is the cost of doing business. And that of course is taxes.

The exodus from that once great state is astonishing. Detroit, once the powerhouse of the Midwest, with a 1950's population of 2 million has lost more than half that number. Detroit has 40 square miles of vacant property, and finds it impossible to service these areas. Michigan as a whole has lost 25% of its population. Just where are these people moving?

The United States Census Bureau has published a report of migration trends in the past decade:

Net Domestic Migration by State

2009 Rank

Net Domestic Migration

Rank 2000-2009

State

2009

2000-2009

1

Texas

143,423

838,126

2

2

North Carolina

59,108

663,892

4

3

Washington

38,201

239,037

9

4

Colorado

35,591

202,735

10

5

South Carolina

31,480

306,045

7

6

Georgia

26,604

550,369

5

7

Tennessee

20,605

259,711

8

8

Oklahoma

18,345

42,284

19

9

Virginia

18,238

164,930

12

10

Oregon

16,173

177,375

11

11

Arizona

15,111

696,793

3

12

Louisiana

14,647

(311,368)

45

13

Alabama

11,044

87,199

14

14

Utah

8,623

53,390

17

15

Wyoming

7,192

22,883

25

16

Kentucky

6,268

81,711

15

17

Arkansas

5,298

75,163

16

18

West Virginia

4,510

17,727

26

19

District of Columbia

4,454

(39,814)

37

20

Massachusetts

3,614

(274,722)

44

21

New Mexico

3,366

26,383

24

22

Delaware

2,580

45,424

18

23

Montana

2,410

39,853

21

24

South Dakota

1,619

7,182

27

25

Idaho

1,555

110,279

13

26

North Dakota

1,375

(18,071)

31

27

Pennsylvania

1,346

(33,119)

34

28

Alaska

979

(7,360)

29

29

Missouri

(124)

41,278

20

30

Nebraska

(956)

(39,275)

36

31

Vermont

(975)

(1,505)

28

32

Kansas

(1,242)

(67,762)

41

33

Iowa

(2,135)

(49,589)

40

34

New Hampshire

(2,602)

32,588

22

35

Maine

(2,937)

29,260

23

36

Nevada

(3,801)

361,512

6

37

Hawaii

(5,298)

(29,022)

33

38

Mississippi

(5,529)

(36,061)

35

39

Wisconsin

(5,672)

(11,981)

30

40

Rhode Island

(6,172)

(45,159)

38

41

Indiana

(6,805)

(21,467)

32

42

Connecticut

(7,824)

(94,376)

42

43

Minnesota

(8,813)

(46,635)

39

44

Maryland

(11,163)

(95,775)

43

45

Florida

(31,179)

1,154,213

1

46

New Jersey

(31,690)

(451,407)

47

47

Ohio

(36,278)

(361,038)

46

48

Illinois

(48,249)

(614,616)

49

49

Michigan

(87,339)

(537,471)

48

50

New York

(98,178)

(1,649,644)

51

51

California

(98,798)

(1,490,105)

50

Derived from US Bureau of the Census data


And with the changes in demographics comes the change in socio-political trends within a state. North Carolina once considered a red state is now purple. The election of socialist politicians such as Barack Obama and Kay Hagan is just a small indication in the shift from conservative, self-reliant people to a government handout, its all about me mentality.

The past decade democrats have owned the governorship and state general assembly. North Carolina subsequently has the highest tax rate in the southeast. Now that is something to brag about. Let's turn this great state into another Michigan or California.

With that in mind I look out my window and glance at my next door neighbor's porch, which hails a Boston Red Sox flag. And every election cycle you can bet that a sign for every leftist radical will be planted in his front yard. I wonder if he has ever contemplated the reasons why he left his home state? I doubt it.




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