Because of this, Michigan is the only state to show a net population loss since the 2000 census, at .6 percent. The rest of the nation grew at 9.7 percent. In the middle of the century, from 1920 to 1950, Detroit was the country’s fourth largest city.

I’m eagerly awaiting the other rankings. According to my own calculations, my home town of Portland, OR, which saw it’s population rise from 529,000 to about 587,000 is bigger than Las Vegas, but still shy of Baltimore and Washington, D.C. Maybe next decade Portland.

I’m sure that by the end of the week we will have more answers regarding the top 25 biggest American cities, which Portland may or may not be a part of. This list is important as it will likely influence the decision of those looking for moving and transport to a new city over the coming decade.

The New York Times reports that Seattle housing prices are down 31% from the middle of 2007, when prices peaked. Experts expect prices to fall another 10 percent. Nationally, home prices fell 5.5% in 2010, returning to the lows of March 2009.

Many folks interested in moving become landlords, renting out their homes and living in rented space, in order to have room for new babies. But when the market heals, these landlords will again want to sell, and with all that supply, prices for moving are not expected to go up anytime soon.

The double dip has been disturbing for those looking for home transport. The notion that the house they buy could drop another 20% after they buy it has kept them waiting.

And while Case-Schiller, the think tank that analyzes home prices around the country, says that home prices should stabilize toward December, there’s still no telling.

No more. Those students who can’t afford a quarter lunch are now being sought to pay their debts. These school lunches were subsidized with nearly $10 billion of government money last year. Now cuts are being made and if the school doesn’t collect for lunch, their classroom funds will be on the chopping block.

Albuqerque, N.M. serves cold lunches and milk. In Wake County N.C., kids can eat as many fruits and vegetables as they want, but can’t have any hot lunch until their debts are paid. In Louisiana, children were not fed at all if they couldn’t pay, until November when courts ruled that at least a snack be given; after three consecutive days of snacking, the welfare authorities must be notified. And in Framingham, M.A., a school constable goes after delinquent parents.

What to do if you’re poor? Think about moving. State transport may be expensive, but when you’re done moving you can allow your kids all the free lunches they want. Make sure, though, that your new school indeed has free, or at least price-reduced, lunch.

This is the coldest December in 115 years in Florida. It usually gets up to around 80 degrees, but temperatures have been about 20 degrees colder this year. Older folks are dismayed to say the least. They chose to transport their lives to Florida for good reason, and although they aren’t getting blizzarded, they are still bundling up. (Besides, for old people 60 degrees feels like 40 degrees).

Global warming leads to global cooling. Part of the reason for this is the jet stream. When the jet stream encounters large mountains, it tends to go around them, drifting north and south. With warming temperatures around the world and the ice from the polar ice caps melting, there is more precipitation. So the jet stream is bigger. That means that snowfall is heavier, and that I have to bike in blizzards. New York is still dealing with the results of the snowfall, with many smaller streets around the city still impassable more than two days after snow stopped falling.

Moving to a place with year-round warm weather will likely become more difficult. Even California had an uncharacteristic wet week last week. But it remains our warmest, sunniest state. So winter birds flocking to Florida may have to head west to get their seasonal dose of warm temperature.

Wyoming is home to Yellowstone National Park, the Grand Teton National Park, as well as the Sierra Madres (not to be confused with the Mexican or Californian Sierra Madre)  and the Eastern Rockies. Explorers were believed to be fictionalizing the west when they returned with stories about geysers and sulfur pools.  The western part of the state is full of mountains and rugged grasslands, while the eastern third of it is the High Plains. Land is very reasonably priced and is ready to be bought by the acre.

So if you want to do some moving, and are thinking about transport out west, Wyoming may be the place for you.

Segregation seemed to decrease, especially in cities like New Orleans, where many black homes were abandoned after Katrina. Median income decreased almost five percent. Four of the five counties below the poverty lines are American Indian reservations in South Dakota. Virginia is the wealthiest and best educated part of the country.

48 percent of newborns were of minority race, compared to 20 percent of those aged 65 and up. This is not a good sign because all the transport from these minorities shows that they have much lower graduation rates. During the last wave of immigration, education took a few generations. Today, if that were to be the case, China and other emerging economies with high graduation rates will surely surpass the American economy.

A frozen Georgian fountain.

Southern folk don’t know much about cold weather. Typically Christmas time in the South means daytime temps of around 60 degrees. At night, it is closer to 40. This winter, predicted to be particularly cold, is showing temperatures 20 degrees lower than normal. And when talk of snow comes, people run to the store to stock up on bread, milk and eggs.

On top of a cold snap, Southerners are experiencing drought and farmers are eligible for emergency loans, since having lost almost 30% of their summer crop due to excessive heat.

What’s with all the extreme weather? If even the south is feeling winter’s bite, where do we have else to transport ourselves to for the sake of consistently warm weather? In New York, it feels like it’s 25 degrees and it’s only going to get colder. It hasn’t started snowing yet, but these winters are the kind that make me think of moving to sunny California, when I can wear shorts on Christmas and be comfortable.

I think the summer may be worse, though. The mugginess makes everyone irritable. But the winter wind is pretty gruesome. Okay, okay, this is my last winter in New York if it’s really, really cold. But didn’t I say that last year?

Because the composite is for the summer, it’s likely that prices continued to drop, and we won’t know exactly how much for another few months. But who knows? If the Fed continues to keep interest rates low, the market could pick up. The economy is growing slowly although a quarter of Americans owe more to the banks than their homes are actually worth, setting the stage for a lot of short sales, or worse, defaults, and foreclosure.

The Economist notes that Congress could have some say in the matter, but until the lame duck session over the next few months is over, it looks unlikely to change much.

All we can do now is put our noses to the ground and keep on keeping on. China’s still doing well, right? Right?

Housing sales in July hit their lowest level in a decade, down 25.3% from last year. Part of why is that July was the first month buyers couldn’t receive a tax credit of up to $8,000. Since this is a large factor, many economists reckon we shouldn’t panic.  Yet prices are still in the tank, dropping .2% last month at the usual peak time, after about a year of average stability. Sellers will compete for buyers as the markets lose sales during the colder months.

Despite the lowest mortgage rate in years, home sales will continue to be slow. If the economy improves, however – haha! – then you can expect the housing market to also. So people will continue to buy homes when they need to, but the way of investing in a home is gone for now.

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The better self storage facilities will offer climate controlled storage units, well lit interiors and exteriors, wide doorways, automatic lighting, covered loading and unloading areas, and be generally hygienic and easy to use.