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So, I decided to start a new thread because the Hampton Roads is lagging badly in terms of economic development. In one article I read from the Pilot, this area is dead next to last in the creation of new jobs - next to Detroit. Meanwhile, nearby Raleigh and Charlotte are adding jobs and population at breakneck speed. Not that I advocate droves of people just moving here but it would be nice to hear of new companies relocating to the area. Not to mention passenger count at the airport has been going down for some time. It has been said the military has some part in this but the region seems to be getting worse more than ever. What more could be done?
Last edited by citydweller; 02-22-2015 at 02:43 PM..
Jobs? What is the future for jobs, especially higher paying ones since technology is taking over or eliminating
much of the workforce? NC STEALS jobs away from other states, especially VA by offering economic incentives
for them to locate in NC. VA just sits back and let's it happen as we think the U.S. will always provide the milk
And honey for endless jobs from the U.S. federal government in Nova and the military in Hampton Roads.
The future of jobs in VA is changing and we shouldn't always depend on the government for our livelihood as
The U.S. is facing a difficult economic future. The most diversified economies in VA is In Richmond & Roanoke.
VA Tech and other major state universities are forging relationships with businesses to create jobs of the future.
The Research Triangle Park in Raleigh could be in VA. Why can't Southside VA lure a major auto manufacturer?
The Governor and the backward country legislators in Richmond must wake up!!
Jobs? What is the future for jobs, especially higher paying ones since technology is taking over or eliminating
much of the workforce? NC STEALS jobs away from other states, especially VA by offering economic incentives
for them to locate in NC. VA just sits back and let's it happen as we think the U.S. will always provide the milk
And honey for endless jobs from the U.S. federal government in Nova and the military in Hampton Roads.
The future of jobs in VA is changing and we shouldn't always depend on the government for our livelihood as
The U.S. is facing a difficult economic future. The most diversified economies in VA is In Richmond & Roanoke.
VA Tech and other major state universities are forging relationships with businesses to create jobs of the future.
The Research Triangle Park in Raleigh could be in VA. Why can't Southside VA lure a major auto manufacturer?
The Governor and the backward country legislators in Richmond must wake up!!
Ya know. Not trying to beat up on Richmond and Roanoke. But even if you take the Federal Government and related jobs away from NoVa. I don't see Richmond or Roanoke as being close to NoVa as far as diversified economies go. NoVa has a huge diversified mix of private work going on.
The airport situation in Hampton Roads is a bit of a mystery to me. Living in Denver I know folks who work for Frontier Airlines and they have told me in the past that those non-stop flights from Denver to Newport News were actually very popular...but yet Frontier pulled out. I can remember reading in the Pilot some time ago that those non-stop flights between Las Vegas and Norfolk had often sold out..yet Southwest stopped doing those flights too. If that is correct..what gives ???
A metro area of well over a million should have at least some non-stop flights to the west.
So, I decided to start a new thread because the Hampton Roads is lagging badly in terms of economic development. In one article I read from the Pilot, this area is dead next to last in the creation of new jobs - next to Detroit. Meanwhile, nearby Raleigh and Charlotte are adding jobs and population at breakneck speed. Not that I advocate droves of people just moving here but it would be nice to hear of new companies relocating to the area. Not to mention passenger count at the airport has been going down for some time. It has been said the military has some part in this but the region seems to be getting worse more than ever. What more could be done?
It's not so much that the region is getting worse as it is you are comparing it to Charlotte and Raleigh. Those are probably two of the fastest growing regions in the country.
We are more the tortoise than the hare. We are not a boom area anymore it is pretty stable already. As to what you an do here? I dunno, that is the billion dollar question... Increase density, improve transportation, attract more private sector jobs to compliment the military, tourism, agriculture, and manufacturing that we already have. It would be easier to do if real estate was still cheap here but the housing bubble took care of that when prices doubled in the early 2000's. There is nothing wrong with slow smart growth or even being relatively stable.
Enough with the Detroit comparisons already though, they were at 20% unemployment during the peak of the recession and are still at 12% now. Hampton Roads was 8% at the recession peak and is 5% now. Detroit's median household income is $27,000 HR is $56,000. Detroit has a 40% of it's population living below the poverty level. HR has about 12% of the population living below the poverty level. There is NO comparison. This may not be the most dynamic area but let's be realistic here...
Enough with the Detroit comparisons already though, they were at 20% unemployment during the peak of the recession and are still at 12% now. Hampton Roads was 8% at the recession peak and is 5% now. Detroit's median household income is $27,000 HR is $56,000. Detroit has a 40% of it's population living below the poverty level. HR has about 12% of the population living below the poverty level. There is NO comparison. This may not be the most dynamic area but let's be realistic here...
While I agree with your point, there was a time when Detroit's economy was stable, unemployment was low, and incomes were high. That doesn't change the fact that Detroit's economy was too heavily based on one industry - it just means when that industry was growing, so was Detroit. When it was stable, so was Detroit. And when it tanked, so did Detroit.
In that regard, Hampton Roads is in the same boat. We rely too heavily on the federal government, and everyone knows it. It's what keeps the City's Economic Development department awake at night. Right now, military spending and our harbor are stable. What happens 30 to 50 years from now when sea levels have risen a few feet and inundated vital harbor facilities that can't adapt quick enough or relocate further inland because there's a lack of space? The industry upon which our economy is built will no longer be stable. It's not completely out of the realm of possibility. In fact, our local scientists are practically in consensus.
At a recent conference at W&M, Tim Kaine referenced the work being done by climate scientists at VIMS that states within the next 30 years, Hampton Blvd will be flooded and impassable 3 - 6 hours a day due to regular tidal flooding if left the way it is (i.e. no adaptive/mitigation measures taken). That's the main thoroughfare to the world's largest naval base and one of the busiest ports on the East Coast. The problem we now face is that in order to be more competitive for funds to mitigate these problems, we have to expand our tax base by bringing in more people. But people follow jobs, so that means we have to diversify our economy. Otherwise, if the issue becomes too severe it may become easier for the Navy to relocate its ships. As someone who works in the climate adaptation field here in Norfolk, this is absolutely our most pressing issue and, without a doubt, puts us in the same boat as Detroit (no pun intended).
While I agree with your point, there was a time when Detroit's economy was stable, unemployment was low, and incomes were high. That doesn't change the fact that Detroit's economy was too heavily based on one industry - it just means when that industry was growing, so was Detroit. When it was stable, so was Detroit. And when it tanked, so did Detroit.
In that regard, Hampton Roads is in the same boat. We rely too heavily on the federal government, and everyone knows it. It's what keeps the City's Economic Development department awake at night. Right now, military spending and our harbor are stable. What happens 30 to 50 years from now when sea levels have risen a few feet and inundated vital harbor facilities that can't adapt quick enough or relocate further inland because there's a lack of space? The industry upon which our economy is built will no longer be stable. It's not completely out of the realm of possibility. In fact, our local scientists are practically in consensus.
At a recent conference at W&M, Tim Kaine referenced the work being done by climate scientists at VIMS that states within the next 30 years, Hampton Blvd will be flooded and impassable 3 - 6 hours a day due to regular tidal flooding if left the way it is (i.e. no adaptive/mitigation measures taken). That's the main thoroughfare to the world's largest naval base and one of the busiest ports on the East Coast. The problem we now face is that in order to be more competitive for funds to mitigate these problems, we have to expand our tax base by bringing in more people. But people follow jobs, so that means we have to diversify our economy. Otherwise, if the issue becomes too severe it may become easier for the Navy to relocate its ships. As someone who works in the climate adaptation field here in Norfolk, this is absolutely our most pressing issue and, without a doubt, puts us in the same boat as Detroit (no pun intended).
Yeah, no doubt. I agree with all of that. I am just tired of people saying HR now = Detroit now. Certainly we have similarities to Detroit back when the auto industry was thriving.
As far as the rest of your comment... I agree that sea level rise is without a doubt the biggest challenge this area will face in our lifetime and my major reservation about owning a house here (which I do). Search my post history, I have touched on this many times and I tell anyone thinking about purchasing a home here to look at the flood maps very carefully before buying. I bought in a very high area of VB, so I won't flood, but if the rest of the market tanks I'm still screwed.
As far as the Navy, port, and tourism goes, that is an interesting topic. The harbor here will continue to be a great harbor even if the water level rises a few feet... but whether or not facilities can be relocated or adapted locally is a big question that I don't have the answer to. I also don't know how the resort area and expensive new arena will fare if sea levels rise a few feet... my guess is not too well. I'm sure MARI and the Navy are looking into this along with the people at LaRC. I know that the head of MARI, Professor Plag, said (at a talk I attended) that he won't buy a house in Norfolk because it just isn't worth the risk despite his desire to own one... that should tell you something right there.
As far as the Navy, port, and tourism goes, that is an interesting topic. The harbor here will continue to be a great harbor even if the water level rises a few feet... but whether or not facilities can be relocated or adapted locally is a big question that I don't have the answer to. I'm sure MARI and the Navy are looking into this along with the people at LaRC. I know that the head of MARI, Professor Plag, said that he won't buy a house in Norfolk because it just isn't worth the risk despite his desire to own one... that should tell you something right there.
Exactly. It's a big time issue, and one I'm not sure the average resident in Hampton Roads (especially Norfolk, Hampton, VB, Portsmouth, and Poquoson) have really grasped. Luckily though, our elected officials have as well as our local and state governments. I've had the pleasure of working with some of MARI's researchers, as well as folks from NASA Langley, W&M/VIMS, and a whole slew of federal agencies from the Army Corps to FEMA to the National Security Council on sea level rise in Coastal Virginia. It's encouraging to see everyone contributing what they can to find solutions, and I think we will find and implement ways to mitigate what we can and adapt to the rest.
I also sit on an advisory committee with ODU's Center for Sea Level Rise and I know, right now at least, we are leading the rest of the nation in terms of collaboration. Washington is looking at us to figure how to solve this issue so other East Coast cities can follow suit.
Exactly. It's a big time issue, and one I'm not sure the average resident in Hampton Roads (especially Norfolk, Hampton, VB, Portsmouth, and Poquoson) have really grasped. Luckily though, our elected officials have as well as our local and state governments. I've had the pleasure of working with some of MARI's researchers, as well as folks from NASA Langley, W&M/VIMS, and a whole slew of federal agencies from the Army Corps to FEMA to the National Security Council on sea level rise in Coastal Virginia. It's encouraging to see everyone contributing what they can to find solutions, and I think we will find and implement ways to mitigate what we can and adapt to the rest.
I also sit on an advisory committee with ODU's Center for Sea Level Rise and I know, right now at least, we are leading the rest of the nation in terms of collaboration. Washington is looking at us to figure how to solve this issue so other East Coast cities can follow suit.
That is great to hear. It is in our interest to be a leader in this area since we are one of the regions that will be most impacted. It will be interesting to see if zoning catches up with the issue and if new development gets focused in higher lying areas. That to me is the big test. If they keep building new houses and businesses on wetlands and low-lying coastal areas then it is just a ticking time bomb.
It is really hard for me to gauge how seriously average (not in the physical sciences) folks take the issue, probably a quarter of Poquoson is NASA people and you'd think they are aware of the issue... yet they choose to live in a city is a nor'easter or hurricane away from being under water again. So it is hard to imagine your average Joe is too worried about it. I guess it is such a long-term slow moving thing...
That is great to hear. It is in our interest to be a leader in this area since we are one of the regions that will be most impacted. It will be interesting to see if zoning catches up with the issue and if new development gets focused in higher lying areas. That to me is the big test. If they keep building new houses and businesses on wetlands and low-lying coastal areas then it is just a ticking time bomb.
It is really hard for me to gauge how seriously average (not in the physical sciences) folks take the issue, probably a quarter of Poquoson is NASA people and you'd think they are aware of the issue... yet they choose to live in a city is a nor'easter or hurricane away from being under water again. I guess it is such a long-term slow moving thing...
As for the local awareness piece, I think the localities are on the fence about how much information to release. Too much and it can hurt our case when trying to bring in new businesses and residents. Too little and it seems like we don't know what we're doing or ignoring the issue. It's a balancing act like anything else, but I encourage everyone, like you mentioned, to check the flood maps (FEMA just released new ones) and read up about what's happening as much as possible.
And for folks coming to this area who may be reading this: check into the flood claim history of a house you are interested in buying before making an offer. Real estate agents are not required to disclose flood damages and histories to potential buyers. Also, make sure you look into how much the home's flood insurance premiums are through NFIP. You'd be surprised how much some people pay in this area for flood insurance (it's astronomical in some spots), and the process to elevate a structure to lower insurance premiums is a real headache and can take years to complete.
As for zoning, I can say with confidence that that exact conversation is happening in at least some of the localities in this area. Norfolk adapted its floodplain ordinance last year to require all new/substantially improved structures in the floodplain be elevated to base flood elevation PLUS three feet. May not seem like much, but it was a pretty progressive change. As far as areas that we know will be practically wiped out should a Hurricane Katrina or Sandy come at us...that remains to be seen.
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