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Both my college grads are or will be in "city" jobs and live in the city. What I am finding is that compared to my working years with little kids, these companies are offering a LOT more work life balance and flexibility than I ever got.
The type of work they do can be done equally well at home and most of the companies are offering at least 2 days a week telework as they cut their own office space and do "hoteling" for office workers.
Christine, we're finding the same thing in the Chicago area. One day a week telecommute, and the instruction to work from home on bad weather days isn't unusual. Unheard of when I was coming up through the ranks.
Certain cities have become very unaffordable . Los Angeles is one for sure . It used to be one could have an average job and do well . Many of these areas that are now over $1,000,000 used to be occupied by factory workers or people working more blue collar jobs .
This issue of housing being so high is actually making it more difficult for businesses to attract employees .
Yet there appear to be several lower cost cities that are attracting "young professionals"
This seems to be happening under the radar of the mainstream media though .
Here is an example in Colombus Ohio
"
A Stateline analysis of census data showed the Columbus metro area at the top of a list of cities that have attracted young, educated people from out of state, yet are still relatively affordable.
Columbus is among areas whose young, educated populations are growing nearly as fast as some of the most famous youth magnets such as Silicon Valley; Austin, Texas; and Nashville, Tennessee.
In Columbus, the number of people ages 25 to 34 with a college degree has increased 62 percent since 2010, yet less than 20 percent of a typical household’s income goes to housing." Columbus attracting young professionals
I know the same thing is happening in Downtown Cleveland too .
Many people just lump the whole Midwest together but there are some interesting things happening in some of these cities .
I actually think these cities make a lot more sense for younger people starting out and allow them to save money by paying less in rent or better allowing them to actually buy property and start building equity .
If one can get in "on the ground floor" so to speak of the renaissance of these cities and neighborhoods a lot of money can be made . It's more focusing in on the specific neighborhoods. it usually seems to be the historic neigborhoods that get revitalized .
We have a situation in America where virtually all the jobs that college grads get are located in the same few trendy cities (San Francisco, Boston, Seattle, NYC, Chicago). This wasn't a problem a decade ago because the city limits themselves were affordable and the suburbs were commutable. Now the cities and suburbs have become unlivable due to the population growth. This is fine with the 20-somethings for now since they like living where all the "action" is and don't mind a 380-sqft studio apt. But I wonder what will happen when they get married and want to have kids in their 30s or 40s. I guess it's possible that by that time their companies will push them out to make room for the next generation of 20-somethings who want the urban lifestyle. Another possibility is they just accept a downgraded lifestyle and live in expensive, small condos like families do in Tokyo and Seoul. Yet another possibility is that companies start building offices in non-trendy areas where their workers can have a traditional middle-class lifestyle.
What do you think?
I think this urban living thing is just a fad. The school systems in most of these big cities are still beyond terrible with huge pension liabilities and most of them the money going to disadvantaged students.
American's prefer large-single family homes and have since the 1950s. I just can't envision many of the households having families and staying in a very expensive inner-city with terrible city services and schools because of all the legacy costs they have from pensions and much of the financial resources going to groups that many of the upper-middle class areas don't have to spend money on.
American's when they get married and start having families prefer large homes on large lots with good schools.
Very few of these millennials are going to raise families in 1,000 square foot high-rises in low service inner-cities when they can have a large house in the suburbs for the same price.
I don't think that most of the good jobs are in the few trendy cities though. There are many good job markets in reasonably priced metropolitan areas all over the country.
Location: Live:Downtown Phoenix, AZ/Work:Greater Los Angeles, CA
27,606 posts, read 14,604,784 times
Reputation: 9169
Quote:
Originally Posted by lovecrowds
I think this urban living thing is just a fad. The school systems in most of these big cities are still beyond terrible with huge pension liabilities and most of them the money going to disadvantaged students.
American's prefer large-single family homes and have since the 1950s. I just can't envision many of the households having families and staying in a very expensive inner-city with terrible city services and schools because of all the legacy costs they have from pensions and much of the financial resources going to groups that many of the upper-middle class areas don't have to spend money on.
American's when they get married and start having families prefer large homes on large lots with good schools.
Very few of these millennials are going to raise families in 1,000 square foot high-rises in low service inner-cities when they can have a large house in the suburbs for the same price.
I don't think that most of the good jobs are in the few trendy cities though. There are many good job markets in reasonably priced metropolitan areas all over the country.
I'm an American and I don't want a large home on a large lot. I've always wanted to live in a city, the suburbs, with the exception of more urbanized inner ring ones, don't appeal to me at all, and I grew up in a suburb in a big house on a big lot. Didn't care for it. Suburbs aren't walkable and are car dependent, which is a major fault
I'm an American and I don't want a large home on a large lot. I've always wanted to live in a city, the suburbs, with the exception of more urbanized inner ring ones, don't appeal to me at all, and I grew up in a suburb in a big house on a big lot. Didn't care for it. Suburbs aren't walkable and are car dependent, which is a major fault
Except for a few eastern cities, big cities are extremely car dependent. Even if they have frequent buses and trains they are still filthy, crowded and smelly.
Here in Phoenix the light-rail is more of a day-time mobile homeless shelter that is dirty and sticky. That is why despite the investment and big tax increases for transit people still prefer driving their cars.
A vast majority of suburbs are very walkable with nice, smooth sidewalks and lots of nice shopping centers.
Most big cities are not walkable with insane amounts of crazy and rude drivers, sidewalks that are falling apart, shady people on illegal drugs and people already drunk in the morning asking everything with a pulse for money.
No thanks, many suburbs are what big cities want to be on walkability.
Location: Live:Downtown Phoenix, AZ/Work:Greater Los Angeles, CA
27,606 posts, read 14,604,784 times
Reputation: 9169
Quote:
Originally Posted by lovecrowds
Except for a few eastern cities, big cities are extremely car dependent. Even if they have frequent buses and trains they are still filthy, crowded and smelly.
Here in Phoenix the light-rail is more of a day-time mobile homeless shelter that is dirty and sticky. That is why despite the investment and big tax increases for transit people still prefer driving their cars.
A vast majority of suburbs are very walkable with nice, smooth sidewalks and lots of nice shopping centers.
Most big cities are not walkable with insane amounts of crazy and rude drivers, sidewalks that are falling apart, shady people on illegal drugs and people already drunk in the morning asking everything with a pulse for money.
No thanks, many suburbs are what big cities want to be on walkability.
I don't know where you are getting your talking points from, but they are false.
And I ride the light rail everyday to commute to work, and to go out on weekends. It is not as you describe it at all
One factor is definitely people getting married and having kids later or not at all .
If you have kids there is less reason to have to be right within walking distance of hot bars or restaurants as you can't really go those places with kids anyways .. but of course there are some other things people find appealing about more urban environments.
I think also psychologically some people like the idea of living in a more urban place even if they don't take advantage of all it has to offer .
One other thing that could affect things is if gas prices go up . One less reason someone would want to commute ...but at same time newer cars are more efficient and there are hybrids and electrics too .
Except for a few eastern cities, big cities are extremely car dependent. Even if they have frequent buses and trains they are still filthy, crowded and smelly.
Here in Phoenix the light-rail is more of a day-time mobile homeless shelter that is dirty and sticky. That is why despite the investment and big tax increases for transit people still prefer driving their cars.
A vast majority of suburbs are very walkable with nice, smooth sidewalks and lots of nice shopping centers.
Most big cities are not walkable with insane amounts of crazy and rude drivers, sidewalks that are falling apart, shady people on illegal drugs and people already drunk in the morning asking everything with a pulse for money.
No thanks, many suburbs are what big cities want to be on walkability.
.
Are you serious? People who live in Chicago don't even need cars unless it's a necessity for work or they do a lot of personal travel by car. There are metra trains to get to the suburbs and public transportation that will take them anywhere they want to go in the city, including to both airports. And that's only when their destination is too far to walk.
Except for a few eastern cities, big cities are extremely car dependent. Even if they have frequent buses and trains they are still filthy, crowded and smelly.
Here in Phoenix the light-rail is more of a day-time mobile homeless shelter that is dirty and sticky. That is why despite the investment and big tax increases for transit people still prefer driving their cars.
A vast majority of suburbs are very walkable with nice, smooth sidewalks and lots of nice shopping centers.
Most big cities are not walkable with insane amounts of crazy and rude drivers, sidewalks that are falling apart, shady people on illegal drugs and people already drunk in the morning asking everything with a pulse for money.
No thanks, many suburbs are what big cities want to be on walkability.
I've never seen a walkable suburb...sure they may have sidewalks in their cookie cutter neighborhoods to go around all their cul-de-sacs...that's not walkable living though...
I've never seen a suburb where you can walk to the grocery store, walk to multiple bars, restaurants (that aren't chains), walk to parks, etc.
Save for a few cities like SF, LA, NYC, DC...most cities are very affordable to live in...yes even big ones like Chicago and Atlanta are.
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