Demographics of the Adirondacks

        Something I noticed on our field trip to the Adirondacks was how small the schools were. I can't remember the town, but one school building even doubled as town offices, and the offices were using rooms that had clearly once been classrooms. I had forgotten this observation until I came across an article written by Phillip Terrie, author of Contested Terrain, about demographics in the Adirondacks.
        A study done by the Center for Applied Demographics at Cornell University (CAD) found two demographic trends within the Adirondack Park. The first trend was an increase in the average age of residents in Adirondacks towns, and the second trend was a decrease in the number of children Adirondacks school districts. These two trends show that fewer people are settling down in Adirondacks. Participants in the Adirondack Demographic conference are quick to blame this finding on the the existence of the Adirondack Park and the Forest Preserve. As more and more land becomes public, it takes away opportunities for residents in the park. There is less land to settle on or make a living. Industries, such as logging and especially mining, prompted schools to be built but are no longer prominent in the park. These are logical conclusions but Terrie finds that they are not grounded in actual evidence.
       While there is no denying that towns in the Adirondacks are struggling, the park is not to blame because the trends noticed are also happening in other parts of the country. Rural towns all over are struggling to keep up with the rest of the U.S. Although Terrie does not present a solution for the Adirondacks to solve this problem, he acknowledges that accusing the Adirondack Park for causing these demographic changes is a waste of time. This is not a problem unique to the Adirondacks and therefore cannot be blamed on the Adirondack Park or Forest Preserve. As we move forward in class, especially as we discuss the residents of the park, it will be important to keep in mind what issues are and are not unique to the Adirondacks because it influences how the issues should be handled.

Decreasing populations is a widespread problem in the US. 

Works Cited

Terrie, Phillip. "Adirondack Demographics: Don't Blame the Park -." The Adirondack Almanack. N.p., 18 Oct. 2015. Web. 30 Oct. 2015. <http://www.adirondackalmanack.com/2015/10/adirondack-demographics-dont-blame-the-park.html>.