WASHINGTON – Downtown living is growing in popularity, reversing a decades-old trend here and in cities across the nation.
Beginning in the 1950s, Americans fled the city for the green lawns of the newly built suburbs, an exodus that would continue for decades. But new Census Bureau data shows that moving into the city, not away from it, is growing in popularity.
The Census Bureau reports that from 2000 to 2010, Chicago’s downtown area grew by 48,000 people — a 36 percent increase in population.
Washington’s downtown population of new city residents climbed by 19,000, a 14 percent jump and Philadelphia’s climbed nearly 10 percent.
But some cities still continue to lose population. In the same 10-year period, New Orleans lost 30 percent and Baltimore shed 6 percent of their downtown residents, amounting to roughly 10,000 people.
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WTOP’s Dick Uliano contributed to this report. Follow WTOP on Twitter.
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