[Bonsai Tree]

Originally Posted by SamInTheLoop

^^ Not a small point. People sometimes lose sight of the obvious in terms of analyzing why certain metros continue to see such outmigration. What is probably the single most important reason Chicago's (and many other northern clime metros) demographics struggle?

It's not complicated.

This is something that plays out over many, many decades (and there are of course many other factors - going both ways - mixed in) and is still happening.

And, the inverse is also true - what is one of the single most important factors in strong inmigration trends in many metros across the southern half of the US - weather......and, very importantly, air conditioning. Yes - believe it or not, the advent of AC is after all this time, still a significant factor in regional migration trends within the US. Kinda crazy yet......duh.

Originally Posted by mark0

Sam, I'm reading a book about the Second Machine Age, future trends, past technological advancements, etc. Very fascinating how technological innovation growth, settlement, population, health, etc. are tied together. After the steam engine, digitization (IT) and plumbing, the switch from window unit ACs to central AC systems is one of the biggest drivers of social change in history. I believe we are witnessing it first hand in our lifetimes and our regions' loss of population to the sun belt. It was near impossible to live comfortably in the deep south during summers. Taxes + bad weather are a toxic combination for growth. You can usually survive with one or the other but not both.

I especially get mad at the stupid "weather argument". That's the dumbest argument out there. If the weather was a major factor in the recent slight decline in Illinois's population then why are there plenty of cities north of here growing? Minneapolis, Grand Rapids, and even Fargo North Dakota. How about Canada! Canada has a booming population! Calgary is cold as hell, how do you explain it growing by 400,000 people over the past 15 years. Sure there are plenty of people who do move for weather, but if they made up a large portion of the population the North wouldn't have any people and we'd all be living in California (which has the best year-round weather). Oh wait, people are moving out of California! That's why this argument sucks. Please use other things like segregation, lack of economic opportunity, even image (which has a much larger impact on population) rather than weather. It's just ridiculous.