PROPOSED CHANGES IN POPULATION STATISTICAL AREAS COULD BE GOOD FOR CAPE GIRARDEAU AREA

A change appears in the offing for the way the federal government defines urban areas. The U.S. Census Bureau's proposed changes could be positive for the Cape Girardeau area.

Core-Based Statistical Areas would replace the current Metropolitan Statistical Area classifications. Currently an area can include portions of two counties with a combined population of at least 100,000 and two or three nucleus cities with a combined 50,000 population. A key change would be that the county would serve as the core unit for calculation of population information in the urban-area classifications.

Currently, the MSAs have only two categories: metropolitan and urban. The new list would make it three: megapolitan areas, defined around cores of at least 1 million population; macropolitan areas, defined around cores of 50,000 to 999,000 population; and micropolitan areas, defined around cores from 10,000 to 49,999 population.

"At this point we could see Cape Girardeau County becoming a macropolitan area," said Tom Tucker, executive director of the Southeast Missouri Regional Planning and Economic Development Commission.

A macropolitan area designation could offer some valuable economic advantages, officials say. "We would receive more looks from businesses and industries seeking locations," said John Mehner, president of the Cape Girardeau Chamber of Commerce. Many industries as well as chain retailers and restaurants look at the current MSA listings when deciding where to locate.

Currently there are six MSAs in Missouri. Our area has been stymied in previous attempts to get on the map in this sense. It appears that if these proposed changes go through, the new millennium could see us get there.