Cape, Bollinger grow while area shrinks

We've all heard, read and fretted about the high number of jobs Missouri has lost during the recent recession and its lingering effects. Southeast Missouri has lost its share of those jobs -- a point exacerbated by last week's announcement that the 65 workers at Jim Wilson Co. will be out of jobs by year's end.

Things like that don't happen without having a rippling effect.

People have to work. When that opportunity is taken from them, they have to do what they can to find work -- even if it means leaving the area.

Apparently, that has happened.

According to census data, thousands of eager-to-work folks over the years have pulled up stakes and moved to other counties or states where work is easier to find.

Of a dozen Southeast Missouri counties, only three showed migration gains, according to census data. In all, 2,772 more people left than moved into the region.

That, too, has a rippling effect.

Fewer people means fewer dollars going into each community and, by extension, fewer people paying taxes. In other words, people who leave are taking their buying power with them.

The worst case-scenario hit Pemiscot County in the Bootheel, which led the exodus with 1,871 more people departing than arriving. In all, 4,262 people moved out of the county from 1995 to 2000.

There were similar statistics in other counties that show that more people moved out of most counties than into them.

It's unfortunate and there are reasons other than the economy. For example, farm work -- for years a big job provider in the Bootheel -- is increasingly done by modern equipment rather than manual labor. Indeed, advancing technology has also hit factory work, taking jobs that are now done less expensively by machines.

The economy and the loss of jobs was clearly a big reason people are leaving. There are others.

Having said all that, the three counties that gained people during that five-year period -- Cape Girardeau, Bollinger and Madison -- should feel fortunate. And no doubt they do.

Various experts, regional planners and demographers suggest that these counties defied the odds. While other counties saw job losses, work was plentiful here. With work comes a steady paycheck and little reason to leave, the thinking goes.

In Cape Girardeau County, there was 13,598 newcomers from 1995 to 2000 -- which is 1,539 more than moved out.

How did that happen?

Even though Cape Girardeau doesn't have recreational lakes and big-star theaters like Southwest Missouri's Branson, what it does have is a wealth of medical services and Southeast Missouri State University, both which attract new residents from all over the country. It also benefits from being the primary retail hub between St. Louis and Memphis, drawing shoppers from a large radius. And it has major industries that provide employment stability.

Cape Girardeau's favorable situation also has benefited Bollinger County, which saw a net increase of 902 people when 1,598 moved away but 2,500 moved in.

One regional planner said many of those moving to Bollinger County wanted to live in the country and commute to jobs in Cape Girardeau County.

While the overall picture for Southeast Missouri is somewhat bleak, it was comforting to see that for three counties there was some good news.