An Uncanny Prediction 3-28-11

Clairvoyance? An ability to see into the future? Perhaps. Right now, however, I would be patting myself on the back if I were still flexible enough to do so.  Why? You can check for yourself if you wish, but on October 10th of last year I posted an update where I speculated about the current population of Detroit. I based it upon my personal observations while working as a private investigator within the city limits. While everyone else wondered if it was then near 800,000, I estimated that it was below 700,000...and possibly as low as 680,000. I was stunned, and more than a little self-congratulatory, when the latest census figures came out. The official census has Detroit's population at only 713,000! Mark Steel's estimate was far closer than all of the "experts!" But, as they say on the Ginsu knife commercials "Wait, there's more!" What is universally agreed upon is that the city has lost 230,000 residents in the past 10 years. That means it loses 23,000 residents per year...and the census was taken about one year ago!! This translates into a CURRENT population of 690,000. I was right on the money with my estimate of between 680 to 700 thousand! Spooky. Perhaps I should offer my services to the Census Bureau in the future.