Fayette and Greene counties continue to lose residents
John F. Brothers | Herald-Standard
A “Welcome to Fayette County” sign located near the country line on Route 51 in Perry Township.
John F. Brothers | Herald-Standard
An empty store front located on Main Street in Uniontown.
Morris
Irey-Vaughan
Ambrosini
Fayette and Greene counties have once again experienced a drop in the number of people choosing to live in the southwestern corner of Pennsylvania, while neighboring Washington County saw a slight uptick in its population.
In the most recent U.S. Census Bureau report, Fayette County lost about 1,600 residents between April 1, 2010, and July 1, 2013, with Greene County’s population declining by 846 residents in the same time frame.
The latest figures show Fayette County with a population of 134,999 residents, down from 136,607. In Greene County, a 2013 population of 37,838 is down from 38,686.
In Fayette County, its two cities — Uniontown and Connellsville — also saw a decline in the number of people residing within their boundaries.
Uniontown, the county seat, boomed during the late 19th century due in part to the development of coal mines and the steel industry but, after 1940, began to decline to its present level of 10,231.
Connellsville, the former coke capital of the world, once boasted a population of about 13,000 during the early 1900s, but then, too, began to decline as manufacturers and other businesses closed their doors or moved elsewhere.
Today, the population is estimated at 7,583, according to the Census Bureau.
While disappointed in the figures, Fayette County Commissioner Al Ambrosini said the decline has slowed from nearly 1,000 per year to about 500 per year.
“It is still not good to consistently lose population, but it isn’t as bad as it has been in other years,” he said.
The solution to the population decline woes is to take advantage of opportunities that have and are being presented to the county.
“We need to focus on returning manufacturing to Fayette County,” he said. “We have vast amounts of natural gas energy here, and we need to look for those businesses that rely on that type of energy.”
Greene County Commissioner Chuck Morris said that its rural location and lack of infrastructure has adversely impacted the county’s ability to draw new residents or businesses and likely contributed to the population decline.
“We’re trying to improve the numbers,” he said. “Our major problem is that we have difficulty getting water and sewage to different parts of our rural municipalities, and people are just not inclined to consider building or buying a house or a business in an area that does not have public water and sewage service.”
Should the numbers continue to decline below the 40,000 benchmark, the county could also see it move from the current Sixth Class County to a Seventh Class County, said Morris.
Fortunately, it would not affect funding for its health and human services programs, he added.
“We’re doing what we can,” he said, noting that a water project will soon get under way in Morris Township, and construction on a senior housing complex will begin within the next year may have some positive effect for the county.
Morris said that the county’s midway location between Morgantown, W.Va., and Washington County may also contribute to the exodus of residents.
“Both of the areas are doing very well,” he said. “Washington County has the Southpointe project going, and the number of Marcellus shale wells is growing.
“Morgantown is considered one of the fastest growing little towns in the country.
“It is hard to compete when two nearby towns have much to offer.”
The 2013 report did not include data for municipalities with less than 5,000 residents.
Washington County is booming, said Commissioner Diana Irey Vaughn, with the number of businesses, along with its population figures, climbing each year.
The recent report indicated the population grew from 207,820 to 208,206 people between 2010 and 2013.
“It is job growth that has driven the numbers up,” said Irey Vaughn. “When the figures for 2012 came out in 2013, Washington County was third in the nation in job growth.”
The bulk of the uptick in employment is a result of Marcellus shale drilling and related industry business.
Irey Vaughn speculated that the county’s low tax rate has also had a positive impact for its continued growth, along with the ongoing investment by leaders to make improvements to its public parks and infrastructure.
“We want to make it a great place for people to locate,” she said.
In Washington County, California Borough, home to California University of Pennsylvania, saw a modest increase in its numbers, rising from 6,795 to 6,816 residents, while Canonsburg Borough saw a minimal decline, dropping to 8,983 residents, according to the census report.
The county seat and one of its two cities, Washington, experienced a decline in its population, losing about 100 residents since the previous count. Monongahela, a Third Class City, has a population of less than 5,000 residents, according to the report.
Pennsylvania, overall, showed a 0.6 percent growth rate, with Philadelphia County experiencing the largest increase in population.
While Fayette and Greene counties saw population reductions, Allegheny County and nearby Butler County showed some growth in their respective numbers.
Allegheny County grew from 1.223 million to 1.231 million, according to the census estimates, while Butler County added about 400 new residents, bringing its population to 185,476 people.
All U.S. Census Bureau figures can be found at http://quickfacts.census.gov/.