What do you think about Duluth's latest census results?

July 15, 2009 11:50 AM
ralph r. Duluth, MN  

Duluth's aging housing stock, which keeps rental prices low, and Minnesota's generous welfare benefits are about the only attractive growth opportunity available. If I were in the AFSCME union I would advocate to keep the this scheme going because good paying union jobs in the welfare, courts, law enforcement, public housing, all depend on this type of growth. Let's face it, the only decent job growth with benefits in Duluth is going to come from servicing welfare growth. All other jobs are going to be in right-to-work states like Georgia, the Carolinias, Texas, and closer to home, South Dakota.

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July 12, 2009 11:18 AM
DR Z. Duluth, MN  

And to think, it only took you 6 days to come up with that unintelligent response, Jimbo.

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July 12, 2009 3:01 AM
Jim G. Duluth, MN  

Oh Oh! Look out...here comes DRZ with the conservative "fear mongering!" Look out for the "blacks" right DRZ? That's the problem with society and Duluth nowadays...too many "blacks." Nice intelligent comments...I'm sure you would have had quite a fan club back in the 1920's....Sometimes the comments on this site amaze me. I feel like some people here are living in a time warp....yikes!

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July 9, 2009 9:43 PM
wayne j. Warren, MN  

I moved out of Duluth with my family of 7 for a better job than what i could find in Duluth. Each time i come back to visit i realize that i miss the horrible streets, school district "plans" and city politics less and less. Duluth is all about the tourist $$ because there is nothing else there. There for i am not surprised that the population has become stagnant. And EVERYONE knows that the welfare system is the best in the state and it brings in the cream of the crop from all around.

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July 9, 2009 7:24 PM
brian b. Springfield, OR  

many americans have middle-class flight to the suburbs,what is needed in duluth is lower the tax rate and that will bring in companies to employee people.

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July 8, 2009 9:21 PM
David D. O. Duluth, MN  

I hope someday more people can come to see truly that there is no one we don't need and that a community with out a place for everyone is a community with a place for no one. A community starts with one person and builds from there. Race has NOTHING to do with it...

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July 7, 2009 5:57 PM
Dave B. Duluth, MN  

I moved to Duluth in 2002 hoping to find a job. I didn't, got depressed, and went on General Assistance. In 2006 I got hired at SMDC after doing volunteer work, but was fired two years later for drinking before work. Now I'm back on GA with no place else to go.That's why I'm still here, but Duluth is a nice place to live.

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July 7, 2009 6:13 AM
Jim J. Duluth, MN  

John O's comment was spot on. Cities can only grow where new housing can be built and where is there a desirable spot to build a new home in Duluth? The population in Duluth suburbs grew 13% between 1990 and 2000 which is faster than the national rate. Many people opt for suburbs like Hermantown where relatively inexpensive acreage is available & birds of a feather flock together. New houses are more common in the suburbs while nearly half of Duluth's housing stock is 60 years of age or older. Duluth has some of the highest building and related permit fees for new construction in the area which also retards growth.

Interesting that Duluth’s population would have declined between 1990 and 2000 if not for the significant growth in the age group 18-24 years of age. Duluth university and college enrollment represents about 18% of its total population.

Duluth's job picture doesn't bode well for the future. The heavy industrial core was lost decades ago. Those jobs were replaced by tourism and the politics, unions and anti-business sentiment limits attracting new businesses. Unfortunately unless Duluth can find a way to annex suburbs, with a static population, each remaining taxpayer will pay an increasingly larger share of the cost for government.

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July 7, 2009 5:28 AM
Jim J. Duluth, MN  

Population Growth Duluth, MN Minnesota United States

2007 Population 85,335 5,246,278 305,316,813
Population change since 1990 -1% 20% 23%
Population change since 2000 -2% 7% 8%

See http://tinyurl.com/l2vdp5

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July 7, 2009 12:11 AM
DR Z. Duluth, MN  

In other words, no response, eh Aaron? Alrighty then.

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