First, thanks for using my photo DC Policy Center (@DCPolicyCenter). This one was digitally enhanced by me, not to look like something it’s not, to look as the way I saw it with my eyes. It’s just how I see Washington, DC. Can’t help it. 🙂 .
Second, another great analysis that challenges recent conventional wisdom:
- Nationally, people are moving FROM urban areas and TO suburbs, reversing commonly held wisdom about migration (except in Washington, DC)
- Washington, DC is the exception, with net migration into the city, plus births and relocations and international migrations, the population grew by 10,800 in the last 12 months
- Population in surrounding Virginia is plummeting, especially in Fairfax, County VA
I feel it’s reasonable to point out that this is another advantage of being the most inclusive city in the world, diversity not only allows the human species to survive, survey after survey shows that people are happier and more productive in diverse environments, which they migrate to. Washington, DC has the highest percentage of LGBTQ residents in the United States (10%), and the same for transgender residents (2.77%, 5 times greater than California or New York).
Coincidentally before reading this post, I took this photograph just a few days ago, in a part of Washington, DC undergoing tremendous growth. The visuals plus the data tell the story. I was a little off by the numbers (841/month, vs 1000/month), however it’s clear this is where the future is being born.
While more people continue to move into the District than move out, the opposite is true for much of the rest of the region.
Source: Migration to D.C. remains stable, but plummets for rest of region – D.C. Policy Center