Census numbers

[rurallib]

I was kind of struck by a statement on IPR this Am concerning the latest census estimate. They said that Sioux, Dickinson (NW Iowa) and Davis county were the only counties in Iowa to show a gain that were not directly connected to a population center.
(map) http://www.iowadatacenter.org/maps/copercent2007
I am kind of curious why that might be? In the case of Dickinson (seat = Spirit Lake) and Sioux (seat = Orange City) is this some kind of evangelical in migration? Is something happening in Davis (seat = Bloomfield). Last time I was down that way it was sparse.
Not wishing them ill or anything. Aberations like that that go unexplained make me curious?

[IA_Seth]

1. I heard the same thing..

Are the gains listed as percentages? I havent looked. But last summer I was in Orange City and spoke to quite a few local yokels..

(as I side I even had my nephew one of his "tricks".. he was a year and a half and I got him to stand on the bar at the reception place, get everyone's attention, and then said "what do you think of George Bush" and he says "Boooo" and does the thumbs down - aww my impressionable youth)

..anyway, I didn't get the impression of any large migrations or anything. But I do believe I heard something about a factory or processor opening and hiring a lot of people.. it could be extrapolated then that if that is the case and the county had a small pop initially, that the jump in employees could skew the % of growth.

Anyway. I did learn that there are lots of good Dems out that way, they just hide out! Ha ha.

[progressoid]

2. Hmmm...that is interesting.

My first thought was that people are just migrating from smaller to larger (that's a relative term) towns. Also, a new Pella Windows facility in Sioux county and a few other small industries probably helped.

My birth county, Lyon, to the north lost about a hundred since 2000. Sioux gained about 1000.

http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/19/19167.html

I'll ask my parents if they have any other ideas.

[Vet31203]

3. Its on the news now

Losing Rural Pop, gaining Urban pop.

Vote Fallon!
http://www.equalitygiving.org/

[Sal Minella]

4. Dickinson County contains the Iowa Great Lakes -- Okoboji, East Okoboji, Big Spirit, etc. and the

condo development projects have just gone berserkoid in the past few years.

These lakes have been popular vacation destinations for families for many decades, and apparently a lot of people decided to retire here. (Many have summer homes here and winter homes in Florida or Hawaii).

In stretches of lakeshore where there used to be leafy burr oak trees down to the water's edge, with cottages scattered here and there, now there are hideous great towering walls of condos. I can't imagine living in one of those places.

[haroldgiowa]

5. Davis County

Looking at the data charts the birth rate out paced the death rate by approximately 260. If not for that Davis County would have lost 2.7%. For some reason 2001 showed the birth rate jumped 100 births per year. Population for the county is only 8000.

I don't recall any other significant event that would have caused any migration, but the birth rate jumping just stuck out. May be the republicans in the area are not practicing birth control or the old republicans are not dieing as young as they could.