Shift in New York 7 



place in the value of farm property. In 1880 

 it lost first place to Ohio; in 1890 it took third 

 place, being exceeded by Illinois and Ohio; in 

 1900 it took fourth place, being exceeded by 

 Illinois, Iowa and Ohio. In population there 

 has been a marked decline in rural commun- 

 ities. According to the figures of Rossiter, in 

 1850 five rural counties in New York showed 

 a decrease in population; in 1860, nine; in 1870, 

 nineteen; in 1880, eight; in 1890, twenty-three; 

 in 1900, twenty-two; in 1905 (state census), 

 twenty-one. It appears that forty-three coun- 

 ties have shown a decrease in population at 

 some period during the past century. Twenty- 

 eight counties, or one-half those outside the 

 metropolitan districts, have a smaller popula- 

 tion today than they have had at some pre- 

 vious time, and these counties represent nearly 

 one-half the entire area of the state. There 

 has been a decline under the maximum of more 

 than eighty thousand persons in the rural 

 counties of the state. Rural communities in 

 some parts of New England have less popula- 

 tion today than they had one hundred years 



