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Going to Extremes
By Venessa Wong
For better or worse, things do not exist in a state of balance in some places in the country. Take Largo, Fla., where the portion of the population aged 85 and up is more than three times the national rate. Or Escobares, Tex., a border town where per capita income is only $3,486 and the vast majority of residents live below the poverty level, according to estimates from the U.S. Census Bureau. These are extreme places where the population demographically, socially, and culturally exceeds normal boundaries. It can be hard to believe that in some places, children dominate the population, and in others, three-fourth of the population is female. There are also towns where people live nearly two miles above sea level and others that receive more than five feet of snow per year. While some might feel America has been homogenized to a great extent over the last century, data reveal that the country maintains pockets of very unique communities.
Click here for more on some of the country’s most extreme places.
