Although it seems more people want to live in Hudson than can be accommodated by the existing housing, the following information from the 2020 census, shared with Gossips by a reader, indicates that, since 2010, Hudson has seen a 12.2 percent decrease in population. According to this information, the population of Hudson is now under 6,000--5,894 to be exact--a loss of 819 people.
The City of Hudson population has been on the decline for decades. It peaked in the 1930's around 12,000. Growing up in Hudson during the late 1950's thought the 1970's it was always in the 9-10,000 range if I recall correctly. One thing for sure is that there were many more children in town during that time period.
ReplyDeleteA question: Does the decline at all reflect anti-immigration policies under Trump?
ReplyDeleteI worked as an enumerator for the Census in Hudson in 2020, and while I do remember a couple instances of hesitancy in non-English-speaking households, there were a number of other factors that likely skewed the count much more.
DeleteWe were primarily sent to households that didn't respond to initial Census mailings, so I did knock on a lot of doors that were likely short-term rentals, evidenced by the combo locks on the door or the artfully placed basket of beach towels in the foyer.
A greater number of my calls were to buildings that had been converted to single-family residences in the last few years, as there were often utility or USPS accounts that hadn't been updated to eliminate outdated unit numbers.
As well, some units were vacant or in some stage of construction.
Interestingly, I had quite a few interactions with individuals who had moved up during the pandemic but had filled out their Census in NYC. (Remember the date of the Census capture was Apr 1, at which time everyone was fresh into lockdown and many people hadn't migrated up here yet.) As such, the Census might have undercounted in instances like this.
At any rate, a 12% change makes it much more likely the ward maps will need to be redrawn in 2022 for the following election cycle, which makes this year's Common Council races that much more important.
People are having less children and smaller families. It is a normal response to a better educated and more affluent culture. Would you rather live in a house with 15 people, or two? Enjoy the peace and quiet. Over (not under) population is a problem.
ReplyDelete"In 1790 the population of Hudson was 2,584 persons. By 1800 it had swelled to 4,048 individuals. In 1814 it reached 4,725 people; in 1820 it was 5,310; and in 1830 it had reached 5,672. By 1850 the population was 6,286 people."
ReplyDeleteMargaret B. Schram, "Hudson's Merchants and Whalers," p. 3.
In 1790, Hudson was the third most populated city in NY, a bit behind Albany, which had 3,000- 4,000 people, while NYC had around 23,000 people, as the state's metropolis, then and now. NYC grew impressively in the last decade, particularly Brooklyn.
DeleteP. Winslow would seem to be on the right track suggesting that "smaller families" are the main reason for the decline -- the Hudson City School District (which includes Hudson and 4 neighboring towns) enrollment has declined by some 700 students in the last 20 years. But the downside of the "better educated and more affluent culture" is the stress such affluence (gentrification?) puts on the less educated and less affluent. --peter meyer
ReplyDeleteNot sure how a more educated and affluent culture puts stress on the less affluent. There are many factors at play here that can also be found in most rural and suburban cities and towns. Primarily people leave to seek economic opportunity that does not exist in abundance here. Adding more population to that scenario is not necessarily a good thing. Some folks here are trying to frame this as some sort of race or culture war, haves vs. have nots, but if you travel around the north east, it seems to be it more a problem of employment opportunity than one of the affluent oppressing the less fortunate.
DeleteI would be interested in knowing what the class sizes are at HHS for the coming school year. How many freshmen, sophomores, juniors and seniors. Anyone have good numbers for those?
ReplyDeleteFor sports classification purposes , the number assigned to Hudson this year is 353. That represents the enrollment in 2020 of freshmen, sophomores and juniors .
DeleteIf school enrollment has been dropping every year, then why does the school budget and tax keep increasing… at near the state mandated limit, even with increased federal funding?
ReplyDeleteThis is mostly rhetorical :)
Management & Pensions
DeleteAre there numbers for Columbia County?
ReplyDeleteColumbia County lost population too, but not as much as anticipated. New Lebanon went up "impressively" (a spillover from New England, I think, due to a cost of housing differential), Claverack went up a bit, along with Greenport, Claremont barely, Ancram "crashed" in population, Kinderhook declined a bit. I have calculated the population of the wards of Hudson, but I am not sharing yet. It's complicated. My time in Hudson is slowly coming to a close, I have a new place of passion, but I am still pretty good a maps I think. I will still keep my digs on Robinson Street, and be seen ambling around with the dog and my partner,from time to time. Interesting, the 2019 estimates were way off from the final numbers in so many places, but not in Hudson. Those numbers extrapolated forward for a year were spot on. Be well.
ReplyDeleteOh, one other thing, Hoboken, half the size in area of Hudson, went up 20%, and now has 60,000 people. I already submitted a new ward map there to the powers that be. :) It's located in another Hudson, Hudson County, NJ, which also had the biggest increase in NJ, by far. The zone just exudes energy and dynamism, and I love it.
Steve, Hudson has benefited from your civic involvement and surely Hoboken will, too. Glad to hear you're keeping some "digs" locally.
DeleteI lived in Hoboken for a decade - late 70's to late 80's - when that city was experiencing what Hudson is now: a sea change that became a new reality. It's true that Hoboken is, and always has been, a densely populated city. The demographic profile has changed dramatically since then, a fact I suspect the new growth continues to reflect.
These 2 Hudson River towns have little in common beyond the early Dutch influence and a past predicated on industrial economies in which the River played a critical role. One is situated within an urban county; the other is the seat of a rural county. One is, in truth, an extension of a global center which contributes to (even provides?) its "energy and dynamism" while the other creates its own, and spared the presence of Starbucks.
I'm glad you're looking forward to your next chapter, Steve. I'm looking forward to mine, right here.
Thank you Jane for your sentiments. I appreciate them very much.
Delete