“I think it’s most specifically attributed to the loss of employment,” said Shannon Meadows, Springfield community development director, about her city’s population losses. “Jobs are gone, people are gone.”
Like Hamilton, Springfield is a post-World War II industrial boom town and a county seat. And both count health systems as their top employers.
Teri Whitmore, Hamilton acting director of economic and community development, said Hamilton’s increase of 1,787 people in the last decade was helped by the regional draw of Cincinnati and Dayton. Springfield isn’t part of a larger metro, Whitmore said.
Hamilton also is attractive for its arts niche, known as the City of Sculpture, highway access and a more active downtown, including the Great Miami River, Ryan’s Tavern and recently rehabbed housing units, she said.
In Springfield’s case, it’s been in the process of reinventing itself for 10 to 15 years, Meadows said. It once had the largest manufacturing facility in the Western hemisphere — East Street Shops, she said. In 1990, the largest employer was Navistar International Corp. that makes heavy trucks. Now, the largest employer is Community Mercy Health Partners, and former notable manufacturing sites have been replaced by medical-related businesses, she said. “We have definitely seen our heyday and our decline in manufacturing and industry.”
Lafayette, Ind., has grown by 23,376 people the past 20 years, according to the Census, which is, “I think because we have such a diverse economic base,” said Kathy Lind, Area Plan Commission of Tippecanoe County senior planner.
Major employers include Subaru, Wabash National and Caterpillar, as well as Purdue University in nearby West Lafayette.
Hamilton’s largest employers are Butler County government and Fort Hamilton Hospital, according to Butler County Department of Development.
About the Author