Chicago area leads U.S. in population loss, sees drop for 2nd year in a row

Patrice Bedford had never questioned raising her baby in Chicago.

But on a springtime stroll during the first trimester of her pregnancy last year, a heightened sense of smell — piqued by pungent neighborhood odors — made her view the city differently.

The city's expensive, she said. Public schools face an unfolding financial crisis and the violence is "terrifying and frightening" to a parent-to-be. It didn't take long for Bedford, 28, to realize it was time to pack up and leave her Roscoe Village home.

She, her husband and their son, now 6 weeks old, are preparing to move to Denver this summer.

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Of the country's 10 largest cities, the Chicago metropolitan statistical area was the only one to drop in population between 2015 and 2016. The region, defined by the U.S. Census Bureau, includes the city and suburbs and extends into Wisconsin and Indiana.

Read more: http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/breaking/ct-chicago-census-population-loss-met-20170322-story.html