The Script

Vignette One:

Sound of telephone ringing …

Husband: Hi Honey, it's me.
Wife: Hi Jack! Say, you don't have to work late again, do you?
Husband: Oh no! No. I'll be home on time.
Wife: Are you feeling all right?
Husband: Great. Just great!
Wife: Well how come you're calling?
Husband: I was wondering if you knew 37 million Americans would be moving from one dwelling to another this year.
Wife: Jack are you sure you're all right?
Husband: Of course I'm all right. How 'bout this: Did you know that more than a million families would be moving from one state to another this year?
Wife: Jack, are you trying to tell me something?
Husband: As a matter of fact, I am. We're going to be one of the families moving. The boss just called me and told me I'm being transferred out west.
Wife: Here we go again.

Narrator:
Americans are on the move. Each year one out of five of us move to a new home. To find out all that's going on with our mobile population, you couldn't be in a better place! Take a look at the Equitable Demograph.

The states now shown in yellow are the most mobile. Over a third of their present residents were born in a different state. The most stay at homes are in the violet lighted states. The red states are just above the national average in movers. The blue states, just below.

Americans move for new jobs. For marriage. For better homes For new opportunities. And as we change our address, we change the face of America.

The states now lighted have the largest proportion of people living in cities. While those coming up in violet are the least urban: Idaho, the Dakotas, Vermont and New Hampshire. These states in red are just above the average in city population, and these in blue, just below the average.

In 1900 most Americans lived on farms. Today 2/3rds of us live in only 211 metropolitan centers.

Yes. Americans are on the move. And if you're among them, here's a reassuring fact to remember: Wherever you move in the USA, there's a man from Equitable nearby. Which means that whenever you need service, you can count on getting it. Fast. With Living Insurance from Equitable.

The Equitable Life Assurance Society of the United States.

Vignette Two: 

1st Boy: I was born in Texas! The biggest state in the country!
2nd Boy: Hey! Haven't you heard? I was born in Alaska. You can put over two Texas-es in one Alaska!

Narrator:
(chuckling) Don't argue boys. You both have a lot to talk about. Alaska has a great expanse of 586,000 square miles. But less than two people for each mile. Texas has 267,339 square miles but over ten times as many people for each mile. Now here's a little girl with an interesting comment:

Girl: Oh boy. I was born in Washington, D.C. And you know what my daddy says? We have 12,000 people on each mile.

Narrator:
Yes, she's right. The most densely populated 61 square miles in the country. Incidentally, we picked the little lady from Washington, D.C. because the ladies there outnumber the men 100 females to every 88 males.

Let's watch the Equitable Demograph. It can tell us a great deal, for example, that our population is increasing by one person every 12 seconds. That's 5 new citizens every minute. But what makes up this increase? The Demograph has the answers from the Bureau of the Census in Washington.

Watch how each state lights up every now and then in pink. Somewhere in the United States a baby is born every 7 ½ seconds. But, people also die. Watch for the blue lights. Somewhere in the United States someone dies about every 17 ½ seconds. Then we have new neighbors coming to our shores from other lands. Right now, there is an arrival every minute and a half. And, of course, some leave our country; though at a much slower rate: about one every 23 minutes. So with birth and death, immigrants and emigrants all figured into the Demograph, we are increasing our population by one person every 12 seconds. That's about 300 each hour and a big total of 7,200 each day.

Watch the map. See how your own state is playing its part in this never ending story of a growing America.

SOURCE: Transcribed from recordings - courtesy of Ray Dashner