Option 1: Boom and Bust Cities: Why some places grow and others decline.

This assignment involves more than just reading and writing, so allow yourself adequate time to complete all the preparatory steps. The paper should be approximately 8-10 pages in length. Any questions or problems, e-mail me! mcope@buffalo.edu

Data Collection: The US Census Department provides data on metropolitan areas, including comparison tables showing population change over time, in this case from 1990-2000. 

• Step 1. Download and print this table (pdf). It's also available directly from the census website at http://www.census.gov/population/www/cen2000/phc-t3.html -- click on Table 2.

• Step 2. To familiarize yourself with the data, go through and mark off all the cities with growth greater than 20% between 1990 and 2000 ("boom cities"), and all the cities with declines of any amount ("bust cities") during that time period. Include your marked printout with your paper. What do the fastest growing cities have in common (geography, economy, culture, etc.). What do the declining cities have in common? This is for Question 1.

• Step 3. Pick one city from each of these categories (except Buffalo!). Using internet sources (keep track of these and add sites to your bibliography!), search on the name of that city to find all you can about what's going on there. You may also want to "cruise" around the Census Bureau's website ( www.census.gov ) to find out more about the area; www.epodunk.com is also helpful for getting started. You should also visit the sites put out by the city itself, but remember that they are likely only to tell you the bright side of the story. Your goal is to become familiar with as much of each of your two cities as you can: business & industries, housing, recreation & entertainment, cultural activities/facilities, physical setting (climate, topography, etc. if these impact the character of the place), cost of living, schools, etc.  This is for Question 2.

Then answer the below questions.
 

The Questions (answer both! Use these as the framework for your essay.):

1. Which US cities are growing and which are declining in population terms? Population growth is often seen as a good indicator of economic vitality - do you agree? What are some reasons for both the "successes" (i.e. growing) and the suffering (i.e. declining)? Use the readings to inform your discussion.

2. Pick one high-growth city and one declining city and develop hypotheses as to why they are on that track. Use the data you've collected (see below) as well as the readings to make your hypotheses and suggest ways that these cities could (a) continue their growth trajectories or (b) turn around their decline and start to grow again.

Hints: The questions above provide you with a ready-made outline. Your paper should start with a general discussion of why some cities are booming and others are declining at any given point, with some discussion of the causes of these processes. Then you should have a section where you discuss your two cities and consider their fates. Finally, you should have a brief conclusion that brings everything together. Please make sure to reference your sources properly, including websites.