Results tagged “population”

We recently ranked as the 43rd happiest state in the U.S., just shy of Rhode Island (42nd) and kicking the miserable asses of Connecticut and New York (49th and 50th, respectively). Notwithstanding our depression, possibly caused by a combination of terrible weather, high taxes, and crumbling transportation infrastructure, more people keep coming here: we added 50,000 folks to our ranks last year, growing 0.8% (compared to 0.9% for the U.S. as a whole) and coming in 25th out of all states. More than 250,000 residents left Mass for other states between 2000 and 2009, so our net gain of 24,518 international immigrants and 3,614 domestic movers (but not shakers) suggests we're starting to come back from that loss. more ›

For the first time in forever (or, since 1987), more people are coming to and staying in Massachusetts than leaving. It's probably because they wanted to attend all the awesome happenings they saw on Bostonist. (Or maybe it's because they can't afford to leave in this economy.) Regardless of the reason, more folks are stopping by and sticking around, meaning that we have both more distractions and more brainpower in our urban areas. Not to mention more traffic to deal with, more health insurance and unemployment benefits (as Herald commenters gripe) to pay for, and so on. It's a mixed bag, but we've got more people, and we've got to deal with them. more ›