Were cities like Erie and similar places with large manufacturing DESTROYED by de-industrialization? (Pittsburgh: 2013, employment)

[gousa14]

Do you believe that de-industrialization irreversibly destroyed not only cities with historically large manufacturing, but entire metro areas like Erie, and sucked more than a quarter of it's population away, and destroyed growth? I believe as far as I know, manufacturing will be the one and only thing that makes these types of places prosper. Look, Erie metro actually grew in past decade, but I have a friend (my friend has a strong libertarian-conservative outlook on these issues) who has the opinion that even the metro will decline.

What are other people's opinions and why? Why will/won't Erie and similar places come back?

Seriously, the lack of growth in these places make the south look like a progressive growth haven.

It's just sad to see as Erie is my hometown. I am kind of reluctant to move, so I'm ranting here instead.

[Ohiogirl81]

Who says Erie is "destroyed"?

Instead off ranting why don't you spend your time helping to improve your community?

[E-Z-B]

The OP isn't saying that community involvement is non-existent. He's saying that the manufacturing base is gone causing economic depression in the area. Picking up trash along the highway and passing out blankets to homeless men isn't going to help.

[bluecarebear]

The economy didn't kill jobs...computers did. The cell phone you carry around has taken away more jobs than a plant closing.

[numberman]

Technology advancement is a large part of the decline. Computers and robotics can do a lot in a shorter amount of time what it used to take an army of workers to do. The key is what type of jobs can you draw in to fill the void. Pittsburgh had to reinvent itself after the steel industry decline, and it has done so successfully.

The areas that put all their eggs in one basket (manufacturing) are the ones that are really hurting now. Johnstown, Scranton, Erie, to name a few.

[Craziaskowboi]

If Pittsburgh wasn't destroyed by deindustrialization, then no place was.

[fisheye]

Originally Posted by numberman

Technology advancement is a large part of the decline. Computers and robotics can do a lot in a shorter amount of time what it used to take an army of workers to do. The key is what type of jobs can you draw in to fill the void. Pittsburgh had to reinvent itself after the steel industry decline, and it has done so successfully.

The areas that put all their eggs in one basket (manufacturing) are the ones that are really hurting now. Johnstown, Scranton, Erie, to name a few.

What we need is a game plan. We currently have no model and no leaders - except for the top one half of one percent. Industrialization fed the masses and created our thriving middle class. We made 'real' products that, in turn, gave our dollars true worth. Today we 'produce' entertainment that the world can live with or without. We outsourced our technology and we import our labor. Robotics are poised to 'relieve' us of our physical burden in the coming decades and we have open borders for millions more to take the few jobs left.

When was the last time we had leaders that proposed any rational direction for our State or our nation? PA is in the heart of 'fracking land'. If we could utilize our own energy to produce products and jobs; that would be a direction for the future. But, if we import the labor and export our energy, we have simply stripped our State and we will have nothing to show - just more poverty.

[trackstar13]

Originally Posted by gousa14

Do you believe that de-industrialization irreversibly destroyed not only cities with historically large manufacturing, but entire metro areas like Erie, and sucked more than a quarter of it's population away, and destroyed growth? I believe as far as I know, manufacturing will be the one and only thing that makes these types of places prosper. Look, Erie metro actually grew in past decade, but I have a friend (my friend has a strong libertarian-conservative outlook on these issues) who has the opinion that even the metro will decline.

What are other people's opinions and why? Why will/won't Erie and similar places come back?

Seriously, the lack of growth in these places make the south look like a progressive growth haven.

It's just sad to see as Erie is my hometown. I am kind of reluctant to move, so I'm ranting here instead.

gousa14

To believe that the only way Erie can prosper again is to manufacture goods on a large scale similar to the past is a very narrow view and contributes to the issues with economic development in the area. Any city like Erie that has struggled to find its niche after de-industrialization first needs to realize that those jobs and industries are gone and likely will never come back. With that being said, Erie simply cannot abandon its manufacturing roots and a blended economy that emphasizes manufacturing as well as tourism, higher education, and healthcare will be the key to future growth in Erie. Of course that is easier said than done, but there are currently many opportunities in Erie to support the ancillary spending of college students as well as healthcare professionals and tourists. The challenge for entrepreneurs is figuring out how to meet the needs and wants of these consumers and where to locate their businesses for the highest likelihood of success. For instance, Gannon University is moving some of its operations and business school to the corner of 9th and State St. I have included a link below and I walked by the building the other day. It is very interesting that the building immediately next to this new Gannon University facility is vacant and this could be a great opportunity for a business that would be frequented by college students, staff, and faculty.
Gannon donation good, bad news for Erie | GoErie.com/Erie Times-News

I truly believe that one of the main reasons the Erie region is currently struggling is due to the sprawl and the lack of taxable properties in the city proper. Pittsburgh has been experiencing some similar issues on a much larger scale with UPMC, but the city of Erie has a significant percentage of properties that are currently off the tax rolls due to their non-profit status. As a resident of the city I have seen my property taxes increase significantly over the past few years and while I can afford it, I have personally met people who are struggling with their high property taxes in the city. From what I have seen the sprawl really makes it tough for businesses and retail to find a location close enough to the center of the city that doesn't only rely on revenue from college students or tourists. In other words, much of the development I have seen since moving here has been in Millcreek, Summit, and HarborCreek. While these are nice suburban areas and they seem to be doing quite well, this simply creates additional infrastructure costs for the metro because everything is so spread out and as an example I have to go to Summit to go to the only Target in the region and HarborCreek to go to the only quasi Giant Eagle Market District in the area. These issues of sprawl are especially troublesome for new young adults who move to the area and would like a walkable neighborhood. Also, I didn't even mention the fact that many people commute to work in the suburbs to places like LECOM or Lord and this does not particularly make living in the city more attractive. I will discuss these issues further as the thread develops, but the first issue that needs to be addressed is the never ending sprawl. Erie needs to do something to attract new residents who pay property taxes and increase the number of jobs in the city.

I know this is getting long, so I will address your friends idea about population decline next. Erie is actually poised to grow a little bit in the upcoming decades and that is mainly due to the low cost of living, the availability of natural resources, and the resources available to immigrants and refugees. See the link below for the population and employment projections for the Erie metro and the city of Erie. The numbers are mostly flat, especially the employment numbers, but it should be noted that manufacturing is still the second largest area of employment in Erie currently and that is where it will probably stay going forward. I think your friend is wrong about the metro declining further in population and I think the population loss is leveling off in the city and we will see very slow growth over the next 20-30 years.
http://www.eriecountygov.org/media/26761/Ch2_2.pdf

[trackstar13]

Originally Posted by Gnutella

If Pittsburgh wasn't destroyed by deindustrialization, then no place was.

Exactly, Pittsburgh was one of the biggest manufacturing economies in the history of mankind and really suffered for many years, but was never "destroyed." The fact that Pittsburgh is making a comeback and without the manufacturing and industry jobs of the past gives me hope that smaller cities like Erie can survive and thrive in the future, they just need to find their niche and run with it. Education and healthcare seem to be thriving in western PA and I would love to see Erie thriving someday like Rochester, Minnesota that heavily relies on healthcare and is similar in size.

[bluecarebear]

Originally Posted by trackstar13

I truly believe that one of the main reasons the Erie region is currently struggling is due to the sprawl and the lack of taxable properties in the city proper. Pittsburgh has been experiencing some similar issues on a much larger scale with UPMC, but the city of Erie has a significant percentage of properties that are currently off the tax rolls due to their non-profit status.

Pennsylvania is not business friendly, ESPECIALLY not small business friendly. That is what fuels the sprawl and why only non-profits stay within city limits. Unfortunately, we live in a state and country that is becoming more and more government centered and tougher on the small business guys. I know a bunch of people who keep their businesses out in the country because they can avoid the hassle of certain city and county governments.