Urban sprawl continues to affect Pa. cities

Some industries once required their workers to live within walking distance.
PHILADELPHIA (AP) -- The population of most Pennsylvania cities shrank between 2001 and 2002, continuing a decades-long trend, according to Census Bureau estimates released Thursday.
Of places with more than 10,000 residents, five cities -- Johnstown, Altoona, Nanticoke, Sharon and Oil City -- tied for the biggest drop in population. Each is estimated to have lost about 1.1 percent of its residents.
Taken as a whole, Pennsylvania's 72 municipalities with 10,000 residents or more lost about 0.5 percent of their population, or around 19,600 people.
In sheer numbers, the largest drop was in Philadelphia, which lost 9,546 people, or about 0.6 percent of its total, according to the estimates. Pittsburgh's population was estimated to have dropped by 2,643, or about 0.8 percent.
Most larger Pennsylvania cities and towns have been shrinking steadily since World War II, due partly to the decline of heavy industries, that once required tens of thousands of workers to live within walking distance of mines and factories.
Exceptions
There were some exceptions. Thirteen cities saw their populations increase slightly between 2001 and 2002, though the gains were usually measured in dozens, rather than thousands.
The most growth was in Coatesville, where 187 new residents inflated the small city's population by 1.7 percent. Bethlehem's population was estimated to have grown by 580, or about a 0.8 percent increase.