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New Orleans. The city always had a unique culture and beautiful architecture, but the economy of the city was going downhill for decades and the crime rate was really high. Since Katrina the city has recovered very well. Crime is still high, but is decreasing, and the city is much more vibrant and business friendly, and there are a lots of transplants moving in to the city who appreciate its character but want to help fix many of its problems. There is a ton of renovation as well as new construction in the city.
I hear Rochester, NY is doing better than it was. You could also throw Duluth, MN in there as well.
It was mentioned earlier, but downtown Birmingham, AL was the first city I thought of when I read this thread.
Oh, and Savannah has been growing consistently for a good while now, but maybe it still counts?
Duluth has been losing population forever - what exactly can you point to that makes it seem like there's a "renaissance?" I love the area, but I'm just not seeing it.
There's definitely an upswing on the "rust belt" cities in the Midwest that have good bones and hit bottom some time back - Cleveland, Detroit, Milwaukee, Pittsburgh, and so on. All were great dense urban centers at one point historically, and some more jobs and a tweak here-and-there are causing an upswing. Here's an irritating (to me, and maybe to you) article from a couple days ago that makes a ridiculous comparison in the title but does highlight a few things happening in Milwaukee, a city that's changed quite a bit since I moved here 7 years ago: Milwaukee is the new Portland - Salon.com
Can you even walk down to the river and touch the water ?
Isn't it some kind of law against even being inside the perimeter of that river ?
btw why isn't the overflow of the LA river stored in tanks for future use ?
In some parts you can even kayak, and the laws around the river continue changing as the river is being transformed. I believe last summer was the first summer in a very long time that the river was opened for recreational use on certain portions.
I've heard a bit about Cleveland and Pittsburgh. Especially Pittsburgh. I LOVE the topography of that area.
Warnings about Pittsburgh.
-The weather is worse than Seattle. Overcast most of the year. Lots of rain and snow.
-The COL is equal to Philly.
-The attitude of residents is changing with the boom. The people are not friendly and it is getting worse. When I moved here I didn't understand why people in Erie hated Pittsburgh so much. Now I understand.
-The rivers are polluted. You have to drive an hour away to find clean water to swim or boat in.
-The job market doesn't reflect the rise in rent. It was announced yesterday that rent amounts have gone up 13% in one year. A good 1br apartment will cost at least $1000 a month.
I've heard a bit about Cleveland and Pittsburgh. Especially Pittsburgh. I LOVE the topography of that area.
Not as much Cincinnati, though I am aware it is growing. I recently took a drive through downtown Cincinnati and was disappointed in the vibrancy...or lack thereof. It was around 7pm on a weekday. Maybe I chose the wrong time?
You probably did not drive down Vine Street where many new shops and restaurants are located. Just driving through may not have given you a fair assessment of what's going on.
Duluth has been losing population forever - what exactly can you point to that makes it seem like there's a "renaissance?" I love the area, but I'm just not seeing it.
Okay, it may not be experiencing a TRUE renaissance, but downtown Duluth is a completely different place than it was 20 years ago...this coming from locals I've spoken with.
Personally, the downtown area, particularly by Canal Park, is very vibrant. More open businesses and restaurants than vacant ones. I was there just a few weeks ago on a beautiful 72 degree day and witnessed hundreds of people out walking around soaking up the sun next to the lake and bridge among other places.
A quick look at wikipedia shows me the population briefly went up for the 2000 census, but other than that has been stagnant to slightly declining since.
Quote:
Originally Posted by bluecarebear
Warnings about Pittsburgh.
-The weather is worse than Seattle. Overcast most of the year. Lots of rain and snow.
-The COL is equal to Philly.
-The attitude of residents is changing with the boom. The people are not friendly and it is getting worse. When I moved here I didn't understand why people in Erie hated Pittsburgh so much. Now I understand.
-The rivers are polluted. You have to drive an hour away to find clean water to swim or boat in.
-The job market doesn't reflect the rise in rent. It was announced yesterday that rent amounts have gone up 13% in one year. A good 1br apartment will cost at least $1000 a month.
Yeah, it is cloudy for a lot of the time in PIT. They also get a decent amount of precipitation, some lake effect. Not nearly as much as Erie obviously.
COL is equal to Philly? This is news to me as I thought it was considerably cheaper. Maybe I'm wrong, but I would love to see some stats.
Attitude of residents is purely opinion. I've also encountered many nice people from Pittsburgh.
Not sure of the condition of the rivers either, but I thought they were improving.
Would also like to see job market stats.
You probably did not drive down Vine Street where many new shops and restaurants are located. Just driving through may not have given you a fair assessment of what's going on.
I can tell you exactly the route I drove. Coming from Kentucky, I exited on to 2nd Street, took a left on Main until 7th where I took a right. Drove to Broadway, took a left until Central Parkway where I took another left until Race Street, took a left until I was back at 2nd.
I guess I was about a block or so off. Darn.
In my defense, it was my first time in downtown and had NO idea where to go to find anything.
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