Yahoo Finance: Which Cities Americans Are Moving to – and Escaping From (Atlanta: crime, quality of life)

[Rocco Barbosa]

It sure doesn't take much for you folks to start arguing over.............NOTHING SIGNIFICANT.

[westau]

Originally Posted by Mostar

It's not red or blue. It's just simple economics. Jobs move to wherever it is cheaper to house the company. In many of these areas the city is still growing, thus more land is available to the companies. In places like the north, it is still very expensive to rent or buy a piece of land. This brings in more people and the prosperity commences from there.

What is a big portion of making something cheap or expensive? Taxes and regulations. That is a red or blue thing.

[Mutiny77]

Originally Posted by Rocco Barbosa

Which Cities Americans Are Moving to

Cut from Article:

Today's nightmare cities, Barone says, are mostly familiar ones: Detroit, Cleveland, Buffalo, and other former factory towns that no longer have enough jobs to support a shrinking population.

The new dream cities tend to be ones in which low taxes and low housing costs are fostering population growth and prosperity: Houston, Dallas-Ft. Worth, Nashville, Atlanta and several “mini Atlantas” including Charlotte, Raleigh-Durham and Jacksonville.

This sounds like something out of the 90's. This is nothing new and in some ways, this is outdated information.

Charlotte and Raleigh-Durham I can see, but I don't get the description of Jacksonville as a "mini-Atlanta." I guess the only qualifiers are above-average population growth, being north of 1 million in metro population, and being located in the South.

Originally Posted by westau

What is a big portion of making something cheap or expensive? Taxes and regulations. That is a red or blue thing.

Supply and demand plays the most primary role and that isn't a red or blue thing per se; it is more of an artifact of historic development patterns.

[bryantm3]

i think this guy is WAY overestimating how many people are moving to atlanta for the "congeniality". just based on personal experience, it makes me question whether he's ever been to atlanta as we're really not that much more "congenial" than other cities along the east coast. i don't think people are flocking here to make friends— what i see on this forum and elsewhere is JOBS, JOBS, JOBS.

the fact of the matter is that cities like detroit and cleveland failed to replace their dwindling manufacturing jobs with new information and tech oriented jobs, but cities like atlanta were able to attract the business. at this point i don't think it's taxes or cost of living (outside of super expensive places like NYC and southern california), i think it's people following their jobs and going where the work is, and increasingly that's in places like atlanta. it's a nice thought to think of people moving here by the millions because they think we're nice people, but considering 90% of the metro area is composed of people *not* from atlanta, i don't think that's a realistic assumption to make.

by the way, i'm a democrat and i think tax incentives are a good idea, it pays off in the end from the money added to the economy— you end up getting the same amount of tax money (or greater) because of the investment you made, it's the same with education. it's not wasting money if it's adding to the economy 10x what you put down in the first place.

[bryantm3]

Originally Posted by Mostar

Well, correct me if I'm wrong but the most educated part of this nation is the place where jobs are leaving the quickest (the northeast)

i don't believe that's correct. people are moving out of the midwest— states like michigan, ohio, west virginia. the northeast generally has a stable growth rate.

as for red vs. blue states, states that have been controlled by republicans such as missouri, west virginia, and ohio aren't looking as good as "blue" states like massachusetts, minnesota, california, and oregon. that being said, there are examples of the opposite as well. my point is that it doesn't seem to matter whether the state is red or blue, it's more the history of the state and the region in which it's located.

[boo radley]

RUST belt migration...I believe its a combination of several things: Education, weather, transportation, weather, taxes, weather, regulations, weather, home prices, weather, cost of living, and weather.

[chiatldal]

it's factual that these places in the south are becoming more diverse and purple. So I not following this dude.

[joey86]

Originally Posted by boo radley

Red state cities rather than blue state cities...hmmm lol

Ever notice that there aren't any real red cities? Or that Georgia is on track to be blue in the next decade? Once we take over it and Texas it'll be smooth sailing!

[arjay57]

Atlanta's low cost of living and doing business is a huge aspect of what put us on the map. For companies seeking to cut costs and build facilities near their employees, our beautiful suburbs are mighty attractive.

[WmMeeker]

Originally Posted by Rocco Barbosa

Which Cities Americans Are Moving to

Cut from Article:

Today's nightmare cities, Barone says, are mostly familiar ones: Detroit, Cleveland, Buffalo, and other former factory towns that no longer have enough jobs to support a shrinking population.

The new dream cities tend to be ones in which low taxes and low housing costs are fostering population growth and prosperity: Houston, Dallas-Ft. Worth, Nashville, Atlanta and several “mini Atlantas” including Charlotte, Raleigh-Durham and Jacksonville.

It has more to do with the weather than factory cities. Birmingham Alabama also has grown in population despite the fact it is a very heavy industrial city.