Shreveport is One of the Fastest Shrinking Cities of 2020
What gives? While we knew Shreveport wasn't a big destination for recent grads or retirees to settle, but we didn't think we were actually shrinking as a city... at least not this much!
When I originally saw this study pop up on WalletHub.com, I had no idea I'd be sitting here in shock after clicking the link. At first, it just showed the top 30 fastest growing cities but I didn't expect that Shreveport would rank that high, so I expanded the list and then had to keep scrolling and scrolling and scrolling... almost to the very end. Out of the 515 American cities ranked for growth, Shreveport is 512th on the list and that is pitiful. We're located in a geographically advantageous area, we have Barksdale AFB right across the river in Bossier City, we have tons of medical centers and healthcare, but where are the people? We have excellent higher educational opportunities available thanks to Louisiana State University in Shreveport, Bossier Parish Community College, etc...
We've all heard the mantra, 'There's nothing to do in Shreveport,' but I disagree. We're also playing host to some kind of festival or sporting event and we get our unfair share of musical entertainment due to our location and the casinos. We've also got some of the best hunting and fishing in the country as well as hiking, watersports, etc... Is it the crime rate that is turning people away? Is it our politicians? I'd really like to know your thoughts on how we can turn this around. After all, the pandemic won't last forever and we need to do something!