The 2020 U.S. Census figures arrived last week eagerly anticipated - and late (for a variety of reasons). One of the big early takeaways from the initial Census data that was released was that rural areas all around the United States lost population. One region where that wasn't true was Western North Carolina. Dr. Chris Cooper, political scientist at Western Carolina University, crunched the numbers and found that only five of the 16 counties in Western North Carolina's 11th Congressional District lost population over the past decade. The rest gained, and in some cases gained a lot.
(READ DR. COOPER'S FULL BREAKDOWN HERE)
He joined BPR's Matt Bush over Zoom to go over the initial Census figures, and how they might impact new lines for Congressional and state legislative districts. You can hear the full interview above, or listen to a new episode of The Porch, a production of the BPR news team, Friday morning at 9 or anytime with the free BPR mobile app or through Apple or Google Podcasts.