Chapter 4 – Migration & Decline
Of nearly 300 souls, only nine remained. The story of Corippo's great exodus leads across ship passages to California, goldfields in Australia, and silent terraces where the forest slowly reclaimed the land.
While Corippo reached its demographic peak around 1850 with nearly 300 inhabitants, the situation changed drastically in the second half of the 19th century. The rugged valley hit the absolute limits of its carrying capacity. Chronic poverty, a glaring lack of employment opportunities beyond subsistence farming, and climatic hardships forced the villagers to emigrate en masse.
Demographic peak with nearly 300 inhabitants.
70 people still live in Corippo.
Only 9 permanent residents remain.
The exodus came in waves and was initially directed strongly towards North America (California) and Australia, driven by the hope of a better life during the great gold rushes. From once over 300 souls, the population declined relentlessly. In 1950, 70 people still lived in Corippo. By 2018, this number had fallen to a dramatic 12, and by December 2019 to just 9 permanent residents – with an average age well into retirement. The old terraces became overgrown, and the houses threatened to fall into ruin.
Around 1850, no fewer than 16 members of a Corippo family emigrated to Australia. Trace their perilous journey, the goldfields of Victoria and how their surname was phonetically adapted across Oceania.
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