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I think Jacksonville FL, Huntsville AL, Waco TX, Oklahoma City OK, Colorado Springs CO, the Harrisburg/Lancaster PA region, Greensboro/Winston Salem NC, Greenville/Spartanburg SC, Knoxville TN, Chattanooga TN (GA), and Kansas City MO (KS) are going to make moves upward in the 2020's. All of these are great areas now in the rankings I've done. Some of them are already on the rise. But all of them have strong QOL metrics and have what it takes to make bigger strides.
Colorado Springs is actually decelerating; it's growing at a slower rate now than has been since basically it was founded. It's still growing fast, but it had been growing really fast for most of the 20th century. The last 5 years home prices have really gone bananas, and that's a reflection of the area basically running out of nice buildable land. Both COS and Denver have limits on what is worthwhile developing out east, and building inside the mountains is usually small scale custom builds, not subdivisions.
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Originally Posted by TheTimidBlueBars
The Tri-Cities, WA could be the newest major city to land on the map. It has the currently explosive growth and the job market for it, and while COL is increasing, it's still far below that in Seattle and other interior Northwest hotspots like Boise and Bend. And the area has risen pretty quickly --- it was all farmland in the 1940s, and Franklin County's population has doubled since 2000.
But even combining the downtowns of the three composite cities adds up to a horrible downtown for its MSA size --- the Tri-Cities make Phoenix look like Manhattan. The area has basically no youth/hipster culture or nightlife, and its prospects will always be limited as long as it's only aiming to attract families and retirees.
This area is the winner of out of nowhere in my book. A metro to arise from the sagebrush. Although looking at it from a satellite view, it's really not surprising: basically unlimited water, really cheap hydro power, and good growing conditions, a lot of really good building blocks for a city, it just needed modern technology to make it all happen. It's the positive side of modern development in comparison of the crap they keep throwing up on the eroding Florida beaches.
Yes this is an accurate description of the Pittsburgh problem.
Pittsburgh continues to loose population with those from its old manufacturing base. And its metro was heavily dependent upon that. Although its economy has diversified.
And its metro has been aging without pulling in enough new migrants to overcome that, and many retire down to the south and no longer have primary residency in Pittsburgh. This is honestly similar to what is happening with Chicago right now, which is seeing lots of stagnation with population, while still seeing economic growth. There has been a large drop off in new migrants.
US Air (which was founded in Pittsburgh) also had their hub in Pittsburgh. And Pittsburgh International Airport was quite impressive.
But when they consolidated and closed the hub in the early 2000s, that also was a negative for the city. Because prior to US Air leaving Pittsburgh had an impressive airport with many connections. (Obviously something business seeks and is a part of the economic development puzzle).
The old US Airways hub also made Pittsburgh a more attractive place to live, because it made air travel less expensive, which diminished the fact the city is slightly isolated. (Similar to Denver).
But it is still pulling in new jobs, and they are mostly in the tech sector. And pay very well.
No it is not pulling in the jobs like Austin, but Pittsburgh tech growth is notable.
So while it has been shedding population, it has been gaining wealth and a higher share of educated and white collar workers and its QOL has been on a continual increase, not decline. Despite what just looking at the population stats would suggest.
Pittsburgh actually ranks pretty high on its share with those with an advanced degree of educated cities in the USA.
Carnegie Mellon really is a true powerhouse of innovation that ranks right up there with Stanford and MIT.
This is why I see it growing in the 2020s. Because I see at some point, its legacy assets and overall affordability will become big selling points.
But we will see.
Everyone talks about how awesome Pittsburgh handled everything but I really disagree. Richard Florida and his whole Creative Class thing is total bs btw. But regardless, selling out to all these transplanted tech people is guarenteed to make the place sterile and boring. The answer isn't to keep letting native residents leave or die and replace them with transplants or immigrants. That is no longer "Pittsburgh" at that point.
You can't stop retired steel workers from dying. That's bound to be a big part of the current population loss. Perhaps their grandchildren will return when they are priced out of wherever the parents moved to.
Worcester, MA has a few things going for it: a lot of colleges, on-going redevelopment around Kelley Square and the Canal District, people looking for a viable, low-cost alternative to Boston.
Maine has also been trying to make some moves economically, so a place like Portland or Waterville might pick up. The former is already a regional tourism hub, but hasn't grown much due to a lackluster economy.
I interpret "up-and-coming" as cities that are becoming increasingly cosmopolitan or reviving themselves, not just growing through unchecked suburban sprawl. So with that in mind:
- Louisville
- Buffalo
- Omaha
- San Antonio
- Salt Lake City
- Little Rock
- Spokane
- Reno
My honorable mention would be Ashville, NC. I'm not particularly fond of North Carolina cities, I got to admit I find them a little boring but that one seems really unique and it feels different. I could see it getting popular. It's already kinda hipstery.
I interpret "up-and-coming" as cities that are becoming increasingly cosmopolitan or reviving themselves, not just growing through unchecked suburban sprawl. So with that in mind:
- Louisville
- Buffalo
- Omaha
- San Antonio
- Salt Lake City
- Little Rock
- Spokane
- Reno
Grand Rapids would definitely be on this list as well.
My honorable mention would be Ashville, NC. I'm not particularly fond of North Carolina cities, I got to admit I find them a little boring but that one seems really unique and it feels different. I could see it getting popular. It's already kinda hipstery.
Asheville has already been a destination city for some time now, such that Chattanooga and Knoxville came to be seen as alternatives for people who got priced out of Asheville.
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