And they're crew camps, not man camps
Finally
This really is quite impressive: three of the top ten fastest growing micro-cities in the nation are in western North Dakota.
Link to Dickinson Press here.
Williston is the fastest-growing micro area in the country, and Dickinson and Minot also made the top 10, according to estimates released Thursday by the Census Bureau.Dickinson, #4, with four percent increase in growth.
The population of the Williston micro area — which is Williams County — grew 8.8 percent from April 1, 2010, to July 1, 2011, Census estimates show.
Minot, #8, with 3.6 percent increase in growth.
The ranking, as impressive as it is, is distorted by a huge margin.
The Census does not count people who live in crew camps or other temporary housing.I wish I could use similar reasoning/math when figuring my federal taxes.
This takes me back to something from my school days, the "three-fifths compromise."
The Three-Fifths Compromise was a compromise between Southern and Northern states reached during the Philadelphia Convention of 1787 in which three-fifths of the enumerated population of slaves would be counted for representation purposes regarding both the distribution of taxes and the apportionment of the members of the United States House of Representatives. It was proposed by delegates James Wilson and Roger Sherman. -- from Wiki.As someone said, it's not how many noses there are, but how the noses are counted.
Oh, wow, note this: I almost missed it the first time. Debbie Downer now refers to "man-camps" as "crew camps." I agree. We should have been calling them crew camps all along, just like we call extended pickups, crew cabs. I wonder if calling them "crew camps" will make them more palatable among those who fear "places where a bunch of men live together."
Bruce, you are on to something here. Language matters. This is sort of like a "Tax Increase" vs. a "Revenue Enhancing Measure". I'd certainly vote to allow a "Crew Camp", who wouldn't.
ReplyDeleteMAN Camp: Suggests smelly socks, rough language, and beer breath. Who'd want them next door?
CREW Camp: Suggests a team of highly trained professionals such as the Space Shuttle Crew. Those are the kind of folks you'd like to see in the neighborhood.
Agree 100%. But I can't take credit for coming up with the new term. Secretary of Interior on his visit to the Bakken suggested it.
DeleteTarget Logistics and others who build and maintain the crew camps have other names for their operations, but those names don't have the right ring to them either.
Crew camps seem just about right.
I'm glad I link my sources.
ReplyDeleteThank you for the update. The real question is whether these yearly census updates provide any value to the community other than news stories and/or bragging rights.
After years of being employed in a position that has reason to analyze demographic data, my personal opinion is that these estimates are primarily a way to keep people at the Census Bureau occupied during the 10 years in between censuses. Though they are based on well-reasoned guesses, the numbers are still ultimately just guesses.
ReplyDeleteThis may not apply in the Bakken, but a good rule of thumb is often to assume that the Census Bureau's population estimates are too low, and any estimates given by local leaders/officials are too high. The truth can usually be found somewhere in the middle.
Very well said: "The truth can usually be found somewhere in the middle."
ReplyDeleteI wish I had said that. I once had a boss who said that often, and was usually correct.
Thank you very much for taking time to comment. And you are also probably correct about the reason the Census Bureau publishes this data: to keep their folks occupied. Smile.