People can't afford to live here anymore. My tax payment is almost as high as my mortgage.

As a FORMER native born Rhode Islander, this news comes as no surprise. Just ask anyone who has left the state, as I have, why. The list of 'What's wrong with RI" will trail for miles.

But the worst part is, there is no one, except maybe the Governor, who is trying to take any action that will turn this around. And he just comes under constant attack by the usual left leading pols and the anti American ACLU.

Good luck to those remaining people who don't mind living in the Socialist Republic of RI!

Is a .4% "loss" really statistically significant, or is it just a figure compiled by federal spin doctors?

Remember, these numbers come from the same agency that in August 2007 proclaimed that:

More Than 300 Counties Now "Majority-Minority"
Nearly one in every 10 of the nation’s 3,141 counties has a population that is more than 50 percent minority.

(ref: http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/releases/archives/population/010482.html)

It would be nice to see some kind of substantive breakdown, like births, deaths, school-children. Otherwise, with no door-to-door body count (and of course the illegals never count their bodies anyway) the numbers are unreliable and propagandist.

I agree my tax payments are one third of my mortgage payment. We are moving down to cape cod. taxes are cut in half for the same type and value of our new house. Subtract 4 more souls from corrupt ri government

Mike

Good, I hope we keep losing population.
As a matter of fact, I hope is 20% next year! Regardless of ex Pats from RI and their opinions. RI is a beautiful state, great beaches but WAY TOO OVERPOPULATED. I'm sick and tired of everyone in the country who wants water front property coming here. We had a pretty good thing going until we were "discovered". My taxes are ridiculous now, etc. and I agree with that but I'll never say this is a terrible place to live. Appreciate what you have, that's what I say. I hope people leave in droves.....

RI BITES!!! TOO EXPENSIVE- TOO POLITICAL, TOO SELFISH, TOO MUCH LIARS, NOT A HEALTHY GOVERNMENT, NOT A GOOD HEALTH CARE SYSTEM, EVERYONE IS CROOKED !1 I CANT WAIT TO LEAVE MYSELF IN JUNE , ILL BE TAKING 5 OTHER PEOPLE WITH ME , BYEBYE!!

I am very new to the state but the roads here are terriable along with drivers. I have never seen so many accident prone people who block intersections, don't use turnsignals, ride brakes at any slight curvature in the road. People here are defiantly ruder that is for sure which is a shame because the New England states are absoultly breath taking.

Taxes would be lower for residents if the state of RI taxed the colleges and universities. Our population explodes in Providence thanks to the students, the schools buy up the property, drive up the rents, and they pay zero taxes.

Tax the church, too while you're at it!

Why is it people in this little state believe their own lies. Rhode Island is and has been a mess for a long time and its because of the people who run the state only care about their self interest and the interest of the unions. The state is run by a bunch of fools, elected by a bunch of fools, who raise their kids (those who stay) to be fools. The state will never change because the people won't change. I lived in the same town for 55 years in RI, so did my wife and we escaped 2 years ago. By the way, our two children came with us, and are teaching school in districts where education matters. And we did not have to kiss anyone's butt to get them jobs here. The people who hired them are thankful to have them working in the schools here. It is true I pay a little more in taxes than I paid in RI, the money goes in the roads, school systems and general quality of life here, not the union coffers and someone pisano's pocket. Nothing I hear about RI surprises me, maybe someday, someone will build an ark and take the 2 people in RI who really care and start over.

It makes me upset to see someone post that the list of what's wrong with Rhode Island trails for miles...Instead of complaining then why doesn't everyone become more "active" citizens of this state? I am a firm believer that if you don't like something, then try to change it! Instead of sitting back and watching all of the corruption, tax increases, etc. write a letter to your public officials or better yet run for public office! We need more people of Rhode Island who want to see change, make change instead! The solution isn't to just give up and move away. Isn't that just copping out?

The reason I moved to RI was to assist in a family illness and when that was done I couldn't get away fast enough! RI is full of true idiots,too many criminals,high taxes,poor job opportunities and extremely high rents,oh nad let me mention the health care system or should I say hwere is it?. How can one survive that....By the way I earn a very good salary in the 6 figures, it's wasn't that I could not afford to live there it was the way everyone around me lived...too poor...too many druggies,too many drunks and everyone after a while looked like Fish...New York is much better to live than RI. The cost of living just about matches nowadays,the difference is you get better paying jobs and can live where you want unlike RI you can bicycle around the entire state in 1 day and still not be anywhere. Get out fast rhode island is not the state to be in. I'm very glad people are leaving in DROVES....It's about time they Woke Up!!!

Does ANYONE really need to guess why people are leaving? Sky-high taxes, crooked government, labor unions running the state and municipalities, limited jobs, out-of-sight cost of living, utility monopolies, etc, etc, etc. Carcieri seems to be the only one that cares.

Rhode Island is one of the most corrupt states in the union. Just look at ALL the "public servants" going to jail, on the way to jail, or just getting out of jail.

No wonder people are leaving.

By the way. 3800 people is not a significant number. Population growth is naturally cyclic. Next month 4200 new imigrants will be heading your way to fill the gap---not to worry!

After visiting here often, I moved here last December. Yes, it's very beautiful and it has a lot of nice things going for it. But after looking for a job, I was inticed away by an excellent salary in the state I just left 9 months before. I just couldn't find an engineering job in RI...hardly anybody would even talk to me...I was 'over educated', have 'too much experience' and am 'too old'.

Perhaps you people who find fault with the state would be happier in Texas, Louisiana,or Alabama just to name a few highly desirable places to live. If you don't like it here just pack your bags and move to BUUUUsssshhhhh country. And please take the governor with you!

I'm in with the "good riddance" crowd. The people who are leaving are the ones who can do nothing but complain about what they don't have here, while completely ignoring what we do have. No vision, no self control, no real motivation to make any difference in this world. Have fun not watering the lawn outside your southern tract home, and feel free to come visit in the summer when the rolling blackouts shut off your air conditioning, and your once-bucolic plot of land inevitably ends up looking like post road smut.

Have we been offered with a reason to stay?? We come from normal sub urban areas where people said please, exscuse me, and thank you. Where some one would wave if you let them get infront of you while driving. Now I am not saying that there is a Utopia out there. But the expectation I have been given to surround myself with normal people with manners and proper english has been gone for about 5 years now, same time as when I moved to RI. Now that I graduated and have a decent job, I still dream of nothing but to escape the baron and rude Rhode Island.

Not only are RI high schools pitiful on the national level, but our university is the worst ranked in New England, and the state's only law school, Roger Williams, is ranked consistently in the bottom tier of all national law schools. True that we have one Ivy League schools, but we have done little to tempt Brown grads to stay. Add to the educational deficiencies, there are simply no open spaces and an unwillingness to change a culture of machismo and parochialism.

I love Rhode Island I miss it very much. I would move back in a heart beat if I could make it work financially. The disparity between what jobs pay the cost of owning a home is flat out ridiculous and the taxes are just outrageous.

Hopefully prices will continue to drop.

I left in 1969 when I joined the USAF. I only go back for visits. The corruption, taxes and the condition of the streets are just some of the reasons. I've lived in GA since I retired from the USAF. Jobs pay better here and life is much easier and cheaper here.

S Alba,

You may indeed be "upset to see someone post that the list of what's wrong with Rhode Island trails for miles...Instead of complaining then why doesn't everyone become more "active" citizens of this state?" However, why don't you read the story on Harwood trying to have the pension of Frank Corrente a convicted felon, re-instated. There is a mindset here that he "was only doing what everyone else does". The fundamental issue is he broke the law. Period. Whether one or one thousand do the same thing is irrelevant. It's illegal.Your sentiments, while well-intentioned, I'm sure, fail to grasp the simple fact that the system here is designed to sap the energy, not to say the finances, out of anyone who genuinely seeks to change matters for the better.

A starting point would be to have a true representative democracy in this state with a genuine multi-party system; personally, I don't care whether the majority is Democrat or Republican. The point is that any party which enjoys overwhelming (and unassailable) support from the electorate (that is, the 20% of those who actually vote)year in, year out has no real incentive to govern based on principles of equity and operating for the public benefit. It only has to appeal to the smallest of bases to ensure it continues in power. And so it is in RI, effectively a single party state for the past 50+ years.

I left Rhode Island 10 yrs ago, due to the recession of 1996 (I lost my job). I miss the short drive to the beaches and the mountains. However I do not miss the high cost of living. When I visit friends and Family back home, they all say the same thing. RI is nothing more than a Boston Suburb with no changes. There is no revitalization, and all the people say the same thing about the number of job losses. I love Rhode Island for many things, and miss New England, but when it comes to jobs and cost of living, there are better states. You would be surprised how many Rhode Islanders are here in North Carolina.

Oh, and if you think the immigrants are an issue in Rhode Island. North Carolina has a high population of Mexicans. If you come to NC, move to the beaches or the mountains - but do not live in the center of the state (it is worse than any in Rhode Island complains about)

I am not surprised. Rhodeisland is a beatiful state. Unfortunatly people leave because they feel so helpless. I admit there are times when I want to leave. One time I was taking a CDL test at the Pawtucket DMV and there were boxes and boxes stacked on the desk and pretty much all over the place. Loose with in them were slips that contained a lot of personal informaion. I was upset and protested. I didn't want to leave my SS# on a paper to be left and possibley fall into the wrong hands. I called the media and nothing ever came of it. I am sure everyone who lives here has tryed to change it for the better. They end up leaving because of hopelessness and that is ironic because on the state flag it sayes HOPE

i hardly believe it . when the schools are over crowded, tons more cars on the streets. census people need to do there job . i have lived here my entire life and standing in line at a groceery store that has modern technology for over 20 minutes tells me you need to recount your numbers are wrong.