WATCH ABOVE: Stats Canada data shows that over the last decade, wealth has significantly moved outside Montreal to the suburbs and cities surrounding the island – with one exception: Hudson. Rachel Lau looks into why family incomes are going down in this picturesque area.
MONTREAL – Hudson has always been a quaint, quiet little town, but lately, it has been mired in political strife.
Mayor Michael Elliott resigned last week and the town is under investigation for fraud.
And then, there’s the economic troubles.
Over the better half of the last decade, the average household income in Hudson has dropped.
“Some of the trends of the suburban areas that have lost income over time that could be a result of people moving within the area, people retiring,” said Kevin Manaugh, a professor from McGill University.
According to Stats Canada date mapped by Global News, families are moving out of Montreal – but they’re not moving to Hudson.
Check out the interactive data map here
Long-time resident and editor of the local newspaper, Jim Duff, says Hudson isn’t as attractive to young families as it used to be.
“The tragedy of Hudson is that people are so desperate to try to hang on to what it was they’re so busy looking in their review mirror that they can’t see that they have to move forward,” he said.
- ‘Shock and disbelief’ after Manitoba school trustee’s Indigenous comments
- ‘Super lice’ are becoming more resistant to chemical shampoos. What to use instead
- Is home ownership only for the rich now? 80% say yes in new poll
- Invasive strep: ‘Don’t wait’ to seek care, N.S. woman warns on long road to recovery
For the first half of the last decade, Hudson has seen a decline in median household income.
What’s interesting is that since 2006, Hudson has been doing better, although not enough to change the overall downward trend.
Realtor Jan Engleman believes that this may be due to an increase in housing prices.
Real estate has been affected, but Engleman remains optimistic that Hudson’s small town charm will turn the situation around.
“We have over 20 per cent more properties for sale this year vis-à-vis last year at the same time and we have less sales this year vis-à-vis last year this time,” he noted.
The median household income in the little town of Hudson is slowly getting back on its feet.
But it will take time, experts say, before Hudson will once again be in the green.
Comments