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I'd say Waterloo, Dubuque, Davenport and Cedar Rapids for sure because of John Deere and other heavy manufacturing industries there. I think I'd leave Des Moines and Madison out of it though. They have hardly any manufacturing jobs for their size.
These days from coast to coast. The economy is sinking fast.
This causes me to ask the question: Where in America does a high school graduate or a person with only a bachelors degree go for a decent standard of living - a nice, affordable house and a car payment and savings and enough money for some kind of annual vacation. Years ago people were leaving Appalchia and going to make cars in Detroit and tires in Akron. Later people were going to the Raleigh-Charlotte area. Now where do you go? I mean wasn't it comforting to know that at least there was somewhere in America that you could pack up and move to and learn a new trade and maintain a middle class standard of living. Is there still any place to go? And not have a Masters Degree? If not what are we going to do with the masses with only "average" education, let alone the uneducated? Because not everyone is going to get their doctorate. Sorry I got off topic, I guess this should have been a new thread.
This causes me to ask the question: Where in America does a high school graduate or a person with only a bachelors degree go for a decent standard of living - a nice, affordable house and a car payment and savings and enough money for some kind of annual vacation. Years ago people were leaving Appalchia and going to make cars in Detroit and tires in Akron. Later people were going to the Raleigh-Charlotte area. Now where do you go? I mean wasn't it comforting to know that at least there was somewhere in America that you could pack up and move to and learn a new trade and maintain a middle class standard of living. Is there still any place to go? And not have a Masters Degree? If not what are we going to do with the masses with only "average" education, let alone the uneducated? Because not everyone is going to get their doctorate. Sorry I got off topic, I guess this should have been a new thread.
Omaha, NE and Des Moines, IA are good mid sized cities that are doing fairly well in this current economic cycle. Both offer a diverse economy with very low housing prices.
This causes me to ask the question: Where in America does a high school graduate or a person with only a bachelors degree go for a decent standard of living - a nice, affordable house and a car payment and savings and enough money for some kind of annual vacation. Years ago people were leaving Appalchia and going to make cars in Detroit and tires in Akron. Later people were going to the Raleigh-Charlotte area. Now where do you go? I mean wasn't it comforting to know that at least there was somewhere in America that you could pack up and move to and learn a new trade and maintain a middle class standard of living. Is there still any place to go? And not have a Masters Degree? If not what are we going to do with the masses with only "average" education, let alone the uneducated? Because not everyone is going to get their doctorate. Sorry I got off topic, I guess this should have been a new thread.
To answer this question, many people have gone to major tourist centers like Miami and espeically Las Vegas. For example think about how much a cocktail waitress can make in 1 night. Las Vegas's tourist trade attracts many native-born workers without a bachelors degree. My old roommate dropped otu of college but is doing quite well working in resorts in Colorado and Utah because of rich skiiers and big tips.
To answer this question, many people have gone to major tourist centers like Miami and espeically Las Vegas. For example think about how much a cocktail waitress can make in 1 night. Las Vegas's tourist trade attracts many native-born workers without a bachelors degree. My old roommate dropped otu of college but is doing quite well working in resorts in Colorado and Utah because of rich skiiers and big tips.
Most of the big ski areas out West also have consistent rises in jobs all the time as well.
I came across this great quote by John Russo, professor of working class studies at Youngstown State University, which pretty much sums up rust belt cities:
Quote:
"When a town loses its past, it can believe whatever is told about it. In order for a city to prosper it must recover its identity by embracing its past and refusing to let others destroy and humiliate it."
I think this is why people that live in cities like Cleveland, Pittsburgh, Youngstown, etc. will bash their cities, and if someone else is doing the bashing they do one of two things: 1) they either pile on or 2) stand up for their hometown and talk about how great it is.
I obviously fit into group number two, but it can be discouraging to hear bad things about your hometown all the time. I suppose this is why outsiders don't really understand these cities or the people from them.
It's like us natives have a split personality disorder, proud, but at the same time negative.
Thankfully, Youngstown is slowy starting to embrace it's past and move on........ DEFEND YOUNGSTOWN!
Interesting link, CortlandGirl. I've heard about Youngstown's plan to shrink itself before. Here's what I don't get, though: Why raze all those houses that are on empty blocks, especially if they are still inhabited. Why force them to leave? Why not just shrink the city limits to say, half what they are now. Then, those who want to remain in the de-incorporated areas could do so with the understanding that they would no longer receive any city services (and would no longer pay city taxes). They could decide for themselves whether they want to stay in their homes and be rural residents, or sell the house to someone else who didn't care if they lived in the city.
Seems more humane to me, and the city still gets to conserve its resources for the areas where people are concentrated....
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