Strange Census 1920 – Missoula Shrank?

Strange Census Data 1920 – Missoula shrank for 10 years?

The Population of Missoula

The 1920 census assigns to Missoula a population of 12,668, which is less than the 1910 record. Thus, apparently, our population is less now that (sic) it was 10 years ago. Patently, this is not true. In the last 10 years Missoula has grown, has added new business buildings, paved streets and hundreds and hundreds of dwellings. Today there is hardly a decent home in the whole city that can be rented, and there are more children than the schools can accommodate. The housing shortage is our most serious problem. Therefore, there must be more people here than there were in 1910, for there was no housing problem then and there were not nearly so many residences.

In fact, Census Director Faulds believes there are approximately 2,000 more residents in Missoula today than there were a decade ago. We are punished by the mistakes we made 10 years ago and by the fact that the count was made this year by precincts instead of by townships, as in 1910.

However, Missoula is the best little town in the state. Business is brisk. We are prosperous and bumper crops will make us even more prosperous. Let us thank the gods that be that the 1920 census was a careful, accurate affair and sit back for another decade of healthy, sound growth.

The above article appeared in the August 1, 1920 Daily Missoulian.

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Posted by: Don Gilder on