From: utzoo!decvax!harpo!ihnss!ihps3!pcl Newsgroups: net.misc Title: More signs of the Third Wave Article-I.D.: ihps3.256 Posted: Wed Jun 9 22:06:30 1982 Received: Thu Jun 10 02:23:53 1982 >From the Chicago Tribune, 9 June, 1982: PHILDELPHIA (AP) - Rural areas have outstripped the cities and their suburbs in population and job growth for the first time in more than a century and a half, according to a study published by the Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia. The boom in the boondocks has been fueled by the construction of the inter- state highway system, improvements in communications and computer technology and a decreased reliance on the goods and services traditionally available in big cities, said Gerald Carlino, senior economist of the bank's urban and regional section. . . . "It seems to be a fundamental break with a 150-year trend", he added. Carlino ... said it was the first time since the 1800s that rural areas have grown faster than cities or suburbs. ... Drawing on statistics from the 1980 census and other studies, Carlino found population in the metropolitan areas grew at a rate of less that 1% during the 70s while population in rural sections grew at a rate of more than 1.5%. In addition, rural areas showed increases from 1970 to 1977 in all but two of 13 job categories surveyed, while metro areas registered declines in all of the categories save two, the article said. [ Carlino ] said mobility of retired people, who can live in rural areas detached from job centers, or growth in mining and recreation jobs do not account for the underlying changes in the nation's economy and demography. More important factors, he said, are improvements in the nation's road network, changes in production technology and advances in communications. [ Communications ... computer technology ... the effects are just beginning to be felt ... - pcl ]