Area's Population Declines

[Mary]

Another issue is the type of people leaving the area. My guess is that it is the hardworking, educated people that are leaving. Those are the people that the area needs.

[Towntalk]

Certainly it is.

For one thing, when the next census is taken, the 17th and 6th Congressional Districts would be changed since Congressional representation is based on population.

Again, with declining population, our impact in Columbus declines.

There's no indication that the decline will not continue, which means that the opportunities for meaningful jobs will also decline.

With fewer good paying jobs, fewer people will want to locate here.

[jay]

I'm sure everyone saw the news yesterday stating that the population of the Mahoning Valley declined by 20,000 since the year 2000.  Is this as bad for the area as it seems?