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Where the article is off base is that there is no correlation in today's economy with unemployment rates and economic growth. The NY Times published a country wide county by county unemployment rate map about two weeks ago on its web site. High growth areas had high unemployment rates. Low growth areas with little exposure to the mortgage crisis had low unemployment rates, as well as all areas with high percentages of federal and state jobs, like Northern Virginia and all university counties. Low mortgage crisis exposure + large universiity = Morgantown. A very flattering article, but like many national new features, high on false logic.
It would be false logic except for the fact that Morgantown has low unemployment and growth simultaneously. That is what makes it so unusual. And, while the large university is certainly a major factor, it is not the only reason. There are several factors from which the area has been fortunate enough to benefit. Diversity of economic underpinnings... education, government, manufacturing, and retail as well as having one of the Nation's most highly educated populations are major contributors as is proximity to major eastern and midwestern markets.
The growth in the Morgantown MSA approximately alligns with the increase in enrollment numbers at WVU. From 2000 to the current, the enrollment numbers at WVU have gone from approximately 22,000 to over 28,000, or over 6,000. Morgantown proper has seen a population growth less than half that in the same time, while Mon County has seen about that same amount growth. This suggests that the university is the large catalyst for the growth.
This news isn't telling anyone from Morgantown anything they they didn't already know.
One reason for the spotlight is the general trend of Americans moving inward and away from the metropolis anyway. Add what nobody will talk about too, "white flight". Those trends aside, an additional money flow also comes from the clock ticking for baby-boomers to escape high-cost-of-living areas before they become wards of the government (simple math : statistical equity of baby-boomers in retirement gives them roughly five years or less to get out or be destitute). Places like Morgantown and Cumberland will get these hits of population flows . . other cities, i.e., Charleston will get their inevitable overflow. These trends aren't long-term solutions to economic problems from a lack of employment infrastructure, but their short-term benefits will be noticeable.
Morgantown and Cumberland are beautiful areas, have a lot going for them, and they were my initial targets of research for relocation, but I ultimately chose Charleston because of its relatively mild weather, and the return on investment in real estate. While the rest of the country took another 20% hit last year depreciating in value, Charleston went up that, actually making it a 40% better investment than the rest of the country.
There is an eventuality others will begin to notice things like this this about West Virginia in a very positive light. So I would expect then, more news to be forthcoming and focusing on places like Morgantown, etc., as they play catch up
The growth in the Morgantown MSA approximately alligns with the increase in enrollment numbers at WVU. From 2000 to the current, the enrollment numbers at WVU have gone from approximately 22,000 to over 28,000, or over 6,000. Morgantown proper has seen a population growth less than half that in the same time, while Mon County has seen about that same amount growth. This suggests that the university is the large catalyst for the growth.
I have to agree with triax. From my experience there, the Morgantown economy centers around WVU. All of the examples given of a "diversified" economy relate back to WVU. They mention WVU itself, Ruby Memorial (or WVU Hospital) and Mylan (which is very closely connected to WVU). There's no other industry there to speak of and even the construction boom that has gone on there is fueled mostly by apartments and buildings to accommodate WVU. The mayor of Morgantown in another interview even admitted that the success there was because of all of the investment by the state and federal governments into Morgantown via WVU. He even went so far as to say that they were a model for what socialism could be. The host also said "Everything that's happened in Morgantown has been built on a foundation of government money." When they do these reports, they also aren't updating their numbers as unemployment from December to January went up by 1% from 2.2% for the county to 3.2%. The 2.7% was for the MSA and that rate jumped as well to 3.9%.
An Economic Hot Spot on Cold Winter Days - State Journal - STATEJOURNAL.com (http://statejournal.com/story.cfm?func=viewstory&storyid=51580&catid=208 - broken link) http://www.wvbep.org/bep/lmi/datarel/cnty_PR.pdf
Don't get me wrong though, I think this exposure for Morgantown is great and I hope it pays off in dividends. My concern though is that if enrollment at WVU drops, which it looks like it may based on the fact that WVU Applications are Down This Year (http://www.universitybusiness.com/newssummary.aspx?news=yes&postid=18372 - broken link), this may cause some trouble. They were building up to accommodate growth to 30,000 students via apartments and dorms. If that growth doesn't happen, it could cause some trouble. I hope not though and I hope good things continue for Morgantown.
Could ANY of the Morgantown development have been caused by the Glen-Mark Corp.
Two local individuals who spent two billion dollars of their own money to completely establish the Waterfront area or provide several shopping areas and build rental dwelllings for over three thousand people as we speak.
No private individual/s in the history of the city has done that....EVER.
And also, there are a couple of people who work privately behind the scenes to create busnesses.
The fact that the Mayor took credit for the "socialist glory should be a tip off that he is in the Rocky Camp.
When Socialsim gets here in full force, Mr. Rocky will be leading the parade down Spruce Street.
A prediction:
That Mr. Rocky leads the Obama charge to let the Welfare indigents into the VA health care hospitals...
He's the In Charge guy...now you know WHY,he's the IN CHARGE guy.
He bought us with hot dogs a cokes...It's a change we CAN believe in
I have to agree with triax. From my experience there, the Morgantown economy centers around WVU. All of the examples given of a "diversified" economy relate back to WVU. They mention WVU itself, Ruby Memorial (or WVU Hospital) and Mylan (which is very closely connected to WVU). There's no other industry there to speak of and even the construction boom that has gone on there is fueled mostly by apartments and buildings to accommodate WVU. The mayor of Morgantown in another interview even admitted that the success there was because of all of the investment by the state and federal governments into Morgantown via WVU. He even went so far as to say that they were a model for what socialism could be. The host also said "Everything that's happened in Morgantown has been built on a foundation of government money." When they do these reports, they also aren't updating their numbers as unemployment from December to January went up by 1% from 2.2% for the county to 3.2%. The 2.7% was for the MSA and that rate jumped as well to 3.9%.
An Economic Hot Spot on Cold Winter Days - State Journal - STATEJOURNAL.com (http://statejournal.com/story.cfm?func=viewstory&storyid=51580&catid=208 - broken link) http://www.wvbep.org/bep/lmi/datarel/cnty_PR.pdf
Don't get me wrong though, I think this exposure for Morgantown is great and I hope it pays off in dividends. My concern though is that if enrollment at WVU drops, which it looks like it may based on the fact that WVU Applications are Down This Year (http://www.universitybusiness.com/newssummary.aspx?news=yes&postid=18372 - broken link), this may cause some trouble. They were building up to accommodate growth to 30,000 students via apartments and dorms. If that growth doesn't happen, it could cause some trouble. I hope not though and I hope good things continue for Morgantown.
There is no question that WVU is the largest employer in the Morgantown area. However, don't expect a 7% drop (likely quite temporary) in freshman enrollment to have a significant effect. In fact, it is possible that students are simply applying to fewer schools and the drop will be less than 7% but at any rate that only amounts to 350 students. Since a stated objective of The University is to increase the faculty/student ratio, it is unlikely it will have a significant impact on employment. In addition, construction at Longview is expected to dramatically increase this year which would more than offset any such variations. Completion of the Mon/Fayette, now on schedule, will also fuel the local economy. Nobody expects that every area of the local economy will be unscathed by the resession.
You are forgetting about numerous other employers that diversify the Morgantown economy. Many people work in the three Federal correctional facilities in the area as well as in local mining operations. As usual Tim, in your haste to try to make Morgantown something less than reality, you have overlooked some obvious facts:
Morgantown jobs in the Education and Health Services industry include 10,865 positions (21.46%); 212 employers (0.42%) and average weekly wages of $833 ($43,316 annualized salary). Trade, Transportation, and Utilities careers in Morgantown, WV include 7,885 jobs (15.58%); 525 employers (1.04%); and average weekly salaries of $481 per week or $25,012 per year. Leisure and Hospitality jobs include 5,670 Morgantown employees (11.2%); 286 employers (0.57%); and weekly average salaries of $234 or $12,168 per year. For those seeking Manufacturing jobs in Morgantown, expect to see 3,272 positions (6.46%) from 67 employers (0.13%) and average salaries of $868 per week or $45,136 per year. In addition, Morgantown, WV Construction occupations include 2,120 jobs (4.19%) in 281 companies (0.56%) with average salaries of $686 per week or $35,672 per year.
Data Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, Q3 2007.
The above figures don't include the 1,200 or so individuals employed in Federal correctional facilities in the region, nor do they include numerous other government employees. I really don't expect that people using generic drugs has a lot to do with The University. There is significant, and expanding diversity in the local economy and my own experience is quite different from that which you so quickly throw around as a quasi expert viewpoint.
According to the most recent government statistics, there are 50,619 Morgantown jobs. Jobs in Morgantown's Private Sector make up the majority of employment with 37,966 jobs in the Morgantown, WV surrounding area (Monongalia County). This accounts for 75% of the Morgantown jobs market. The rest of the market comprises Federal Government employment totaling 1,264 jobs, which is 2.5% of the Morgantown workforce.
Retail is another strongpoint for Morgantown, and the town is either first or second in the state in that regard. I don't have exact current data, but data from 2002 shows that retail sales for Morgantown and Huntington were as follows:
(figures to show the extent of Morgantown activity)
Morgantown $610,994,000
Huntington $483,394,000
Morgantown, and the immediate surrounding area, has grown substantially since 2002. And if you think all that construction is simply student housing, you must be using a little too much wacky backy when you take you wife to her parents. Next time you head up to The University City, pick up the Sunday paper and you will find a full 3 1/2 pages of want ads looking for workers. I'd be real surprised if there are close to that number listed in the Herald Disgrace. Morgantown is doing just fine, and prospects look even better.
Last edited by CTMountaineer; 03-18-2009 at 08:05 PM..
The growth in the Morgantown MSA approximately alligns with the increase in enrollment numbers at WVU. From 2000 to the current, the enrollment numbers at WVU have gone from approximately 22,000 to over 28,000, or over 6,000. Morgantown proper has seen a population growth less than half that in the same time, while Mon County has seen about that same amount growth. This suggests that the university is the large catalyst for the growth.
There is no question that The University is a catalyst. However, the direct correlation that you suppose is not there. The students are not counted as "residents" for various reasons, the primary being that most of their parents want to claim them on their income taxes. They are residents of the towns in which their parents reside. Can you imagine the panic in a college town if thousands of students suddenly registered to vote, bought in-state drivers licenses, and emancipated themselves? You can add the 24,000 or so temporary resident students to the de facto population numbers, but not the de jure ones. Remember, much of the population growth in the Morgantown environs is outside of Morgantown proper. In fact, much of the economic growth is in that category as well. There simply isn't much space left within the city limits for further development. The Waterfront developments excepted.
Did anyone see the 2 900 lb gorillias in the room?
Did anyone think that the brand new twin 1200 acre campuses of Penn State and CMU at Uniontown might have a slight effect on the enrollment of WVU?
A great percentage of WVU enrollment is Pennsi because of lower costs and now we are losing them because those Pennsi Degrees carry greater credibility.
And do you know...Uniontown is as far away to the north as Fairmont is to the south?
Good points Kennedy. Do you think those new campuses will continue to impact WVU as they continue to grow? And also, do you think the completion of the Mon-Fayette Expressway will bring more people to Morgantown or make it easier for people from Morgantown to spend their dollars in Pittsburgh?
CT, my point in the post wasn't "to try to make Morgantown something less than reality" but just rather to 1) Discuss an issue that someone else brought up and 2) Dig a little deeper into this topic and look at the updated data and where this success is coming from.
Quote:
Originally Posted by CTMountaineer
There is no question that WVU is the largest employer in the Morgantown area. However, don't expect a 7% drop (likely quite temporary) in freshman enrollment to have a significant effect. In fact, it is possible that students are simply applying to fewer schools and the drop will be less than 7% but at any rate that only amounts to 350 students. Since a stated objective of The University is to increase the faculty/student ratio, it is unlikely it will have a significant impact on employment.
My concern wasn't that the enrollment drop would affect the university as much as it would businesses and property owners. 350 fewer people needing apartments, buying groceries, eating out etc. If it happens and then continues, as Kennedy alluded to, it would have a big impact on other sectors there.
Quote:
Originally Posted by CTMountaineer
Retail is another strongpoint for Morgantown, and the town is either first or second in the state in that regard. I don't have exact current data, but data from 2002 shows that retail sales for Morgantown and Huntington were as follows:
(figures to show the extent of Morgantown activity)
Morgantown $610,994,000
Huntington $483,394,000
Not to get into this with you again since we are discussing Morgantown, but since you brought it up, let's consider some things. As discussed with you before, those figures were before the current growth in Huntington with Pullman Square and the revitalization efforts downtown which has brought many new businesses. New figures should be out later this year or next so we'll have to look at them again when they are available. Let's also take at look at the areas, like you typically prefer to do. Again, these figures are for retail only.
So when looking at the areas, Cabell has 1 1/2 times more retail revenue and the Huntington MSA has nearly 3 times the retail revenue.
Back to the topic at hand though, how do you feel when you watch the interview with Mayor Justice and they speak of the growth being founded on government money? Especially after you claimed Morgantown gets little to no help from the state.
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