Population Then and Now

On Thursday, October 4, the Hudson Area Library is hosting a public information forum on the 2020 census. The forum, which is sponsored by the New York Council on Families and Children, New York Civic Engagement Table, Assemblymember Didi Barrett, and Michael Chameides, Third Ward supervisor, will deal with the importance of an accurate count in the 2020 census to vital funding for local infrastructure and social services and explore what can be done to ensure an accurate count. The forum takes place from 6 to 8 p.m. in the Community Room at the library, 51 North Fifth Street. Childcare, food, and refreshments will be provided. To reserve your seat, click here.

In the decade from 2000 to 2010, Hudson's population decreased by 10.8 percent, causing some elected officials to wring their hands and talk about "reviewing the 2010 census information to determine what the next move for Hudson should be." It's not clear if they ever determined what the next move should be, but, to this observer, the move seems never to have been made. There is a definite fear that, with so many vacant buildings and houses being maintained as short-term rentals, the 2020 census will reveal another decrease in Hudson's population.

I was reminded of the current situation yesterday when I came upon this item, which appeared in the Columbia Republican for September 17, 1918.

The report of fifteen "baby cabs" on two blocks of Warren Street reminded me of these pictures from a photo album discovered in an antique shop in South Burlington, Vermont, a few years ago. They were taken here in Hudson circa 1914, and Gossips helped identify the family to whom the album belonged.

Interestingly, the first picture shows the baby carriage on the 300 block of Warren Street, the block on which the Republican offices were located, at 346 Warren Street. 
 

The building now belongs to Galvan Initiatives Foundation.
COPYRIGHT 2018 CAROLE OSTERINK