What a day -
California Recall election - I won't predict the results, but it's scary to think Arnold Schwarzenegger might just win - assuming Gray Davis is recalled. Quite an interesting ride ahead for that state, whatever happens.
Meanwhile, there was also a vote to strike by UFCW Local 655 in St. Louis. This means dramatically reduced hours at Schnucks, Shop N Save and Dierbergs markets.
UFCW Local 655 has a list of other union grocers in St. Louis where you can shop. They include Straub's and Foodland Warehouse Foods, at Jefferson and Lafayette and 6155 S. Grand at Iron St.
Tuesday, October 07, 2003
Thursday, October 02, 2003
Some fast facts about the City of Saint Louis, MO.
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Census 2000 Population: 348,189
American Community Survey 2002 Estimated Population: 327,820.
(estimate excludes "institutions, college dormitories, and other group quarters". Those groups accounted for 10,632 St. Louisans in Census 2000).
So, to compare apples to apples:
Census 2000 Population in Households: 337,557
ACS 2002 Estimated Population: 327,820 (repeated for clarity)
That suggests a decline of about 10 thousand people living in households, or just under 3%.
This is only an estimate, and estimates are often way off. But it does remind us that the City population is probably still declining.
More data about the City (this again from Census 2000):
Racial composition:
51% African-American
44% Caucasian
2% Hispanic-Latino (although not a 'race' in Census terms)
2% Asian-American
2% Two-or-more races
Poverty:
25% of the population lives in poverty.
According to the 2002 ACS, the percent of the population could now be between 20% and 28%. Of course, this is a crude calculation I made, based on the 'high' and 'low' estimates of total population and total population in poverty.
But to be sure, there are at least 60,000, and perhaps as many as 90,000, St. Louisans living in poverty by Census estimates. Other sources may be more exact.
Disability:
Census 2000 also shows a large number of City residents live with disabilities.
25% of the population lives with at least one disabling condition.
In the population aged 65-and-up, that proportion jumps to 49%.
Housing:
83% of all housing units are occupied.
80% of all housing units were built prior to 1960.
49% of all housing units were built prior to 1940.
While many of us think of historic housing as our greatest asset, it may be distressing to realize that 31% of the City's housing units, nearly 54,000 units, were built in the 1940s and 1950s. These are the same kinds of houses that are slowly decaying in many inner-ring suburbs; is the same true here? Unquestionably, we need to preserve as much of our historic fabric as possible. But one must wonder what we will do about aging housing stock that doesn't qualify as historic, such as those tiny bungalows spread around South St. Louis. They are to the point they need new roofs, plumbing, electrical, etc.
40% of all housing units are single-family, detached houses.
47% of all housing units are owner-occupied. (So, there are still at least
63% of owner-occupied houses have mortgages.
21% of those mortgaged, owner-occupied houses have 'owner costs' (mainly the mortgage payment) of over 30% of monthly income.
We tend to think of City housing as affordable, but this data suggests that at least 10,000 homeowners pay more than they should (by HUD standards) on a monthly basis for their homes.
Of course, this is not as bad as renters' situations, where 40%, more than 40,000 households, pay more than 30% of their monthly income in rent. Nevertheless, it does show that even in a comparatively affordable housing market like the City of St. Louis, some homeowners will struggle to pay for other needs in addition to housing.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Census 2000 Population: 348,189
American Community Survey 2002 Estimated Population: 327,820.
(estimate excludes "institutions, college dormitories, and other group quarters". Those groups accounted for 10,632 St. Louisans in Census 2000).
So, to compare apples to apples:
Census 2000 Population in Households: 337,557
ACS 2002 Estimated Population: 327,820 (repeated for clarity)
That suggests a decline of about 10 thousand people living in households, or just under 3%.
This is only an estimate, and estimates are often way off. But it does remind us that the City population is probably still declining.
More data about the City (this again from Census 2000):
Racial composition:
51% African-American
44% Caucasian
2% Hispanic-Latino (although not a 'race' in Census terms)
2% Asian-American
2% Two-or-more races
Poverty:
25% of the population lives in poverty.
According to the 2002 ACS, the percent of the population could now be between 20% and 28%. Of course, this is a crude calculation I made, based on the 'high' and 'low' estimates of total population and total population in poverty.
But to be sure, there are at least 60,000, and perhaps as many as 90,000, St. Louisans living in poverty by Census estimates. Other sources may be more exact.
Disability:
Census 2000 also shows a large number of City residents live with disabilities.
25% of the population lives with at least one disabling condition.
In the population aged 65-and-up, that proportion jumps to 49%.
Housing:
83% of all housing units are occupied.
80% of all housing units were built prior to 1960.
49% of all housing units were built prior to 1940.
While many of us think of historic housing as our greatest asset, it may be distressing to realize that 31% of the City's housing units, nearly 54,000 units, were built in the 1940s and 1950s. These are the same kinds of houses that are slowly decaying in many inner-ring suburbs; is the same true here? Unquestionably, we need to preserve as much of our historic fabric as possible. But one must wonder what we will do about aging housing stock that doesn't qualify as historic, such as those tiny bungalows spread around South St. Louis. They are to the point they need new roofs, plumbing, electrical, etc.
40% of all housing units are single-family, detached houses.
47% of all housing units are owner-occupied. (So, there are still at least
63% of owner-occupied houses have mortgages.
21% of those mortgaged, owner-occupied houses have 'owner costs' (mainly the mortgage payment) of over 30% of monthly income.
We tend to think of City housing as affordable, but this data suggests that at least 10,000 homeowners pay more than they should (by HUD standards) on a monthly basis for their homes.
Of course, this is not as bad as renters' situations, where 40%, more than 40,000 households, pay more than 30% of their monthly income in rent. Nevertheless, it does show that even in a comparatively affordable housing market like the City of St. Louis, some homeowners will struggle to pay for other needs in addition to housing.
Friday, September 19, 2003
I hate to say this - but downtown Clayton, MO is actually functional.
Since I'm now a PhD student in the Department of Political Science at Washington University, I have occasion to head to Clayton more often than in my past lives.
I just hop on the Wash U Shuttle to the "West Campus" (better known as the old Clayton Famous-Barr store) on Forsyth. At the West Campus one will find the West Campus Library and Archives, which house a plethora of obscure publications, for me the most significant being dissertations of WU Phd graduates.
Then I can walk from the West Campus complex a few blocks west to the core of Clayton, around the County Government Center.
Just today, I walked to the US Post Office on Maryland, then a block down to the Mid-County Branch of St. Louis County Library, then another block to the First Bank on Meramec.
Sure, there are districts in St. Louis City where a similar pattern - library, post office, bank within three blocks - exists. South Grand is one example, although there the bank is Commerce, which is not a favorite.
Anyway, Clayton is still somewhat walkable, although with so many SUVs scurrying across the landscape, one must be observant. While I was at the post office, two SUVs nearly backed into each other while leaving spaces on the parking lot.
But perhaps this points out that maybe the inner-ring suburbs aren't all that different from the City in the design of their commercial districts. Clayton, University City, Maplewood, even to some extent Richmond Heights near Big Bend and Clayton Rd., have pedestrian-scale business districts. Areas like Lemay, Wellston, Pine Lawn, and Jennings used to have such districts, but they have been eviscerated by years of neglect and demolition. Ferguson and Florissant both have old town districts of some interest. And of course there's Kirkwood, and Webster Groves with three shopping strips (Old Webster, Old Orchard, and the smaller Webster Crossing district on Big Bend between Elm and Gore).
In any event, this is just to say that many of the issues that concern urban business districts also concern some suburbs. And that some suburbs can be convenient for pedestrians.
Since I'm now a PhD student in the Department of Political Science at Washington University, I have occasion to head to Clayton more often than in my past lives.
I just hop on the Wash U Shuttle to the "West Campus" (better known as the old Clayton Famous-Barr store) on Forsyth. At the West Campus one will find the West Campus Library and Archives, which house a plethora of obscure publications, for me the most significant being dissertations of WU Phd graduates.
Then I can walk from the West Campus complex a few blocks west to the core of Clayton, around the County Government Center.
Just today, I walked to the US Post Office on Maryland, then a block down to the Mid-County Branch of St. Louis County Library, then another block to the First Bank on Meramec.
Sure, there are districts in St. Louis City where a similar pattern - library, post office, bank within three blocks - exists. South Grand is one example, although there the bank is Commerce, which is not a favorite.
Anyway, Clayton is still somewhat walkable, although with so many SUVs scurrying across the landscape, one must be observant. While I was at the post office, two SUVs nearly backed into each other while leaving spaces on the parking lot.
But perhaps this points out that maybe the inner-ring suburbs aren't all that different from the City in the design of their commercial districts. Clayton, University City, Maplewood, even to some extent Richmond Heights near Big Bend and Clayton Rd., have pedestrian-scale business districts. Areas like Lemay, Wellston, Pine Lawn, and Jennings used to have such districts, but they have been eviscerated by years of neglect and demolition. Ferguson and Florissant both have old town districts of some interest. And of course there's Kirkwood, and Webster Groves with three shopping strips (Old Webster, Old Orchard, and the smaller Webster Crossing district on Big Bend between Elm and Gore).
In any event, this is just to say that many of the issues that concern urban business districts also concern some suburbs. And that some suburbs can be convenient for pedestrians.
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