Canton, Cleveland, Dayton, Youngstown

Forbes.com list of 'fastest-dying' cities includes four in Ohio

Tuesday, August 5, 2008 12:14 PM
By Dan Gearino
THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH

Four of America's 10 fastest-dying cities are in the Buckeye State, according to a list produced by Forbes magazine.

Canton, Cleveland, Dayton and Youngstown get the dubious distinction, based on their anemic population growth and their sluggish gains in overall economic activity.

"Despite a decade of national prosperity, the former manufacturing backbone of the U.S. is in rougher shape than ever, still searching for some way to replace its long-stilled smokestacks," said the Forbes article, published online today.

Ohio's four cities are the most of any state on the list, followed by Michigan with two, Detroit and Flint.

The 10 cities are as follows in alphabetical order, with comments from the article about the Ohio cities.

- Buffalo, N.Y.

- Canton: "Like many cities on our list, the Canton-Massillon area has been victim to the decline of the so-called Rust Belt."

- Charleston, W.Va.

- Cleveland: "Only Pittsburgh and New Orleans have seen sharper population declines this decade, and New Orleans was because of a natural disaster."

- Dayton: "Dayton has suffered as manufacturing in the region has gradually tapered off. It has been particularly hard hit by the decline in automotive manufacturing."

- Detroit

- Flint, Mich.

- Scranton, Pa.

- Springfield, Mass.

- Youngstown: "It's been many years since the Republic Steel Company dominated the economy of Youngstown, Ohio, and nearby Warren and Boardman, Ohio."

dgearino@dispatch.com

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