Does the Rust Belt still exist? (sale, apartments, roughest)
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LOL, who keeps feeding you these erroneously dire reports about Michigan? Have you ever been back since you moved? It's a "tough place to live"? LOL.
"People up there hang on to the good things about being there, and don't like to be reminded of the bad." Couldn't that be said about anywhere in the world where people live?
Apparently you haven't gotten the memo, but Michigan is doing better than it has in many, many years. Many reports have it now leading the economic recovery, the state government just recorded a huge surplus at the end of the last fiscal year, we finally have a governor who knows his head from a hole in the ground, and the domestic automotive industry is going gangbusters.
Sorry I did not intend to offend or appear to running MI down. I guess a "tough place to live" was a poor choice of words, I really was only talking about the economy. If you say its doing better Ill take your word for it, but I do have relatives up there still struggling to find work. They do live in parts of the state that are far from the areas that are said to be doing better. (metro Detroit and GR) I do agree with you about Snyder, he appears to be doing a good job and right to work laws will help bring in new jobs given time. Like I said I was not running Michigan down, I lived there for decades so I have no interest in hurting it. Yes I have visited since I left, spent some time in Northern Michigan this summer.
Yes it still does. Buffalo is still in economic despair leaving its residents to be in hard denial over it.
Based on what outdated stereotypical information? Buffalo's unemployment rate is 6.7% (right at national average) and there's a lot of positive growth going on now.
I'm surprised to hear that people are still leaving MN and WI. Twin Cities and Madison are two of the best places to live in America. Maybe the cold weather is a huge factor in their decision.
I will keep it in mind not to call the area the Rust Belt because I am moving in Madison, WI soon. I'm very excited.
Madison has never been rust belt, honestly much of that area has nothing to do with rust belt. If you tell them you're living in the rust belt they'll look at you strange.
I think people get very confused because they call this huge broad area of the great lakes and midwest "THE RUST BELT" when really it was a term to describe fairly specific cities that are around the midwest and were very dependant on heavy industry.
Detroit
Cleveland
Youngstown
Flint
Duluth
etc.
A majority of people in the midwest have nothing to do with "the rust belt". Rural areas, smaller cities, Des Moines, Madison, Indianapolis, Columbus, Grand Rapids, Ann Arbor, Minneapolis, Chicago, etc.
Even the suburban areas of Detroit, Cleveland, etc are fine and not faling apart or depressed. It's mostly central cities, and then select other cities like Flint, East St. Louis, Gary, etc.
People came up with "rust belt" and blew it up FAR larger than it is. As it is, the big bad mean "rust belt" is pretty much over for most people in the area, as the thread title stated. most places have diversified or depopulated.
I mean the central city of Detroit is still doing very poorly, but it has around 1% of the population of what some people call "the rust belt".
You forgot to include Illinois; a state, arguably, in the worst economic condition in the country let alone the ''rust belt''.
?? Illinois isn't a star performer, but you can't say it has the worst economic condition just because some downstate cities like Decatur or East St Louis or Rockford are doing pretty poorly and ignore something like Chicagoland that has 75% of the state's population which is doing just fine.
Maybe you meant that the state has arguably the worst FINANCES in the country, but the economic condition of the state isn't (yet) going to hell because of that.
Much of Michigan is still a mess, some Ohio cities are also in poor shape. People are still leaving states like MI, WI, Oh and IN. Cold weather and a lousy economy both play a part in that. A few towns have recovered, as stated Indianapolis , Madison and Grand Rapids are just a few examples. Overall though its still a tough place to live. One thing to remember though is that the people who have stuck it out in that area don't really like having it called "rust belt" In spite of the economy there are some very pretty areas in northern Mi, and northern Wi. People up there hang on to the good things about being there, and don't like to be reminded of the bad.
ohhhhhhhh.....are you visiting us from the late 1970's? Tell my grandmother hello!
?? Illinois isn't a star performer, but you can't say it has the worst economic condition just because some downstate cities like Decatur or East St Louis or Rockford are doing pretty poorly and ignore something like Chicagoland that has 75% of the state's population which is doing just fine.
Maybe you meant that the state has arguably the worst FINANCES in the country, but the economic condition of the state isn't (yet) going to hell because of that.
Chicago is not doing just fine. Having lived in Chicago for a long time, I know the Chicago ''wind'' very well. Illinois, as of November 2013, ranked 48th in unemployment (50 states and DC). So if the effects of the state's financial mess are taking a toll, please get this issue resolved asap before it does.
Illinois ranked right above Michigan; the other ''rust belt'' states were well above Illinois. So, given its higher unemployment rate and its financial disaster, yes, Illinois is, arguably, in the worst economic condition. A few other states may have the same or higher unemployment but do not have the financial debt Illinois has to dig itself out of.
Chicago is not doing just fine. Having lived in Chicago for a long time, I know the Chicago ''wind'' very well. Illinois, as of November 2013, ranked 48th in unemployment (50 states and DC). So if the effects of the state's financial mess are taking a toll, please get this issue resolved asap before it does.
Illinois ranked right above Michigan; the other ''rust belt'' states were well above Illinois. So, given its higher unemployment rate and its financial disaster, yes, Illinois is, arguably, in the worst economic condition. A few other states may have the same or higher unemployment but do not have the financial debt Illinois has to dig itself out of.
Illinois is the only Midwest state that had a governor selling senate seats. The corrupt mentality that allows something like that also makes it likely for a state government to sink into the financial abyss. At least MI and WI got their acts together as far as state government goes. Illinois is the New Jersey of the Midwest, bribes and kickbacks are just the way things are done there. That culture of corruption needs to go. I still cant believe Blagoavich (SP I know) tried to sell a senate seat.
Illinois is the only Midwest state that had a governor selling senate seats. The corrupt mentality that allows something like that also makes it likely for a state government to sink into the financial abyss. At least MI and WI got their acts together as far as state government goes. Illinois is the New Jersey of the Midwest, bribes and kickbacks are just the way things are done there. That culture of corruption needs to go. I still cant believe Blagoavich (SP I know) tried to sell a senate seat.
A
As bad as selling a Senate seat is, the Gov. prior to Blago was George Ryan, also currently in jail. As Illinois Secretary of State, his office was selling commercial drivers' licenses; one recipient of these licenses killed an entire family while driving with his ''authorized'' commercial license.
I love how Chicagoans like to play that that Chicago is not part of the ''rust belt''. Roughly 1,000,000 residents leave the city and it is considered to be ''booming'' while vast areas of Chicago are wastelands from its industrial decline.
Remember the Senate seat up for sale was the current President's. which is even scarier. ''Senator'' Burris lied as well about lobbying for the seat from Blago but was left alone because he was going to play the race card.
Outside of those glitzy 'hoods of the Loop and the Near North Side, Chicago is more of a Rustbelt city than anything else.
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