California is experiencing a decline in population, but one particular region seems oblivious to this trend.
Driving around Lathrop, a small town in California’s Central Valley, reveals a rural community undergoing rapid development. Shelley Burcham, the town’s economic-development administrator, guides your correspondent in a silver Tesla, pointing out new fast-food joints (such as In-N-Out Burger), recently constructed apartments (now available for lease!), and future plans to convert almond groves into an industrial park. “There are goats there now,” she remarks, gesturing towards a field, “but if you come back later, there will be something built there.”
The most significant recent development in California is the reversal of its long-standing characteristic of population growth. In 2021, the Golden State experienced a population decline for the first time in its history. Republican governors argue that people are “voting with their feet,” suggesting that California’s population loss reflects poor governance. However, not every area in the state is shrinking. Recent estimates from California’s Department of Finance indicate that the counties projected to experience the most growth over the next four decades are located inland from the coast and in the Central Valley, which serves as the state’s agricultural heartland.
Two factors contribute to this growth. Firstly, birth rates in Central Valley counties are higher than in more populous regions, a trend observed in both rural and urban counties across the United States. Secondly, there is internal migration within California, with a significant number of San Franciscans relocating to Alameda County, situated across the Bay. Between 2020 and 2021, more individuals moved from San Francisco to Alameda County than to any other location. Approximately a quarter of those who left Alameda County, including Oakland, moved to two neighboring counties to the east. Silicon Valley investors aiming to establish a YIMBY (Yes In My Backyard) utopia in Solano County, located between Napa’s vineyards and the state capital, Sacramento, are undoubtedly aware of the area’s appeal to…
2023-11-09 09:01:38
Original from www.economist.com
rnrn
