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DC in time will become more affluent and less poor. With that said, I am waiting for the "you can say that about every other city" slick ricks and or rachels.
What does it mean when an area, which is the size and population of DC, becomes more affluent, MONOCULTURALISM occurs. So in the case of DC, it will be working class monoculturalism. People within the same community that share a common working/economic class culture all think and socialize similarly.
DC, VA, and MD, aka the federal territory of DC, may not be a government town in years to come (highly doubt it won't) but it certainly won't be a place where everyone wants to be. That is for sure and will be even more so 10-15 years down the line. The exception lies within the default crowd and those attracted to this place that are marketable due to applied skills, experiences, and clearance credentials. Other than that, DC will extend its offerings to a local monoculture. Nobody is going to deliberately leave any other diverse city and shack with roommates and get rid of their cars.
If you do a drive around DC during mid-day of a work week, it will not be hard to capture the air of sameness- especially now that the weather is better. Sure, it may be diverse ethnically but culturally, it’s the same. They all look like intellectuals, which is a good thing mind you but it’s still the same. My father told me he went to look at investment property in Charlotte N.C and said the same thing about there being very preppy upper class folk through and through.
Many people will argue because of their social blindness, which is why you often hear "you can say that about every other..." They are simply unable to identify differences and this is identified as social agnosia. Different to emotional agnosia where people are blind to facial expressions and voice intonation, social agnosia is where people apply the social aspects to their every encounter- no matter where they are, things are perceived the same.
So, as DC becomes more monocultural, less and less people that are not part of this monoculturalism will leave. But personally, I think it's a good thing. I am all about setting rules, boundaries, and defined parameters- unlike how America is going with all this multiculturalism and integration that is killing its culture. Put same with same and there will be less bias, offensive but hurt feelings, and slander.
Da,m, I was right with you up til the second sentence of that last paragraph.
Da,m, I was right with you up til the second sentence of that last paragraph.
I was also with you until you stated that "But personally, I think it's a good thing. I am all about setting rules, boundaries, and defined parameters- unlike how America is going with all this multiculturalism and integration that is killing its culture."
Last time society did that was during white flight when minorities, more specifically blacks, couldn't get housing in the suburbs do to racially restrictive covenants , redlining and mortgage discrimination. Knowing how devastating that was to the black community I don't know of anyone who would be in favor of that type of policy today besides racists.
DC is also an international city and always will be. This brings foreign business where cities like Philly and Boston would miss out. DC has stepped up its game so dramatically in the last decade that there is no going back. DC is increasingly stealing Chicago's thunder as America's "second city". Being in a much better location and relatively close to NYC (America's first city).
DC is only known internationally bc its a national capital of a G7 nation. It certainly didnt get that way the way NYC, Los Angeles, toronto, London, Paris or tokyo did.
DC stealing foreign business from Boston and Phila? Philly MAYBE.....after all Philly is the 5th largest city in the country. And its certainly seen better days but they have a business district and they dont answer to a height limit....plus they have space DC can only dream of. Boston will get more business opportunities than DC will at this point in time and perhaps the future if current trends continue simply bc Boston already has more diversity in industry. Finance, Education, engineering biotech.....GE just moved their headquarters up there......DC BARELY has finance (largely for govt functions), education somewhat but nothing like Boston, i have yet to hear of biotech in the area and most engineering functions in DC metro are IT whereas boston has a lot more than that.
And how in the almighty fudge is DC stealing economic thunder from Chicago????? Have you been to Chicago? theres alot more to the city than teenage gangbangers with guns.....
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The main problem holding DC back in the past was the "suburban sprawl" trend the baby boomers created that lead to the decay of inner cities. No city can really "boom" when 70% of the people living there are poor and/or criminals. That bad element repels middle and upper class people and keeps them away. Gentrification has changed that and I don't see the middle and upper class giving up their cities ever again.
All the new economic infrastructure back then was in the suburbs like alot of other cities in that era. Its why NoVA and Mont CO. boomed. DC wasnt unique in that regard.
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DC will not be a "Government town" in 20 years. It will be a city where the Government happens to be. Whether you think its a good thing or not.. I predict that cities will push the poor out permanently. The poor being a large demographic in cities will probably never happen again.
Long as its a fed capitol it will always be a government town. everything economic in DC will center around it. Its not like DC is a state capitol with a state house and a small govt district. For DC to diversify economically and not be govt dependent i predict most of that will develop in NoVA or montgomery cty. Unless the height limit on K street and other centralized areas is repealed....
One thing i REALLY need newcomers to understand is that they need to stop making DC into what its not. This is a city of federal govt. Every country has their capitol govt city. cities that are centers of govt and economic centers became that way bc they developed their citys industries much earlier than DC ever even tried to. even the gentrification going on is largely due to an influx of well moneyed govt workers and contractors. Its going to take at least 50 years before DC even starts to compete in that regard. For that to happen new businesses unrelated to govt have to be created that create jobs and whatnot....and unforunately cupcake shops, wine bars and gourmet pizza shops are not going to accomplish that. Pittsburgh and other mid size former rustbelt cities rebuilt themselves off of industrial diversification. Detroit is starting to do the same. Ill agree with you more once i start hearing about biotech labs being built on bladensburg rd or a silicon valley type economy bubbling somewhere else within 495.....
DC is only known internationally bc its a national capital of a G7 nation. It certainly didnt get that way the way NYC, Los Angeles, toronto, London, Paris or tokyo did.
DC stealing foreign business from Boston and Phila? Philly MAYBE.....after all Philly is the 5th largest city in the country. And its certainly seen better days but they have a business district and they dont answer to a height limit....plus they have space DC can only dream of. Boston will get more business opportunities than DC will at this point in time and perhaps the future if current trends continue simply bc Boston already has more diversity in industry. Finance, Education, engineering biotech.....GE just moved their headquarters up there......DC BARELY has finance (largely for govt functions), education somewhat but nothing like Boston, i have yet to hear of biotech in the area and most engineering functions in DC metro are IT whereas boston has a lot more than that.
And how in the almighty fudge is DC stealing economic thunder from Chicago????? Have you been to Chicago? theres alot more to the city than teenage gangbangers with guns.....
All the new economic infrastructure back then was in the suburbs like alot of other cities in that era. Its why NoVA and Mont CO. boomed. DC wasnt unique in that regard.
Long as its a fed capitol it will always be a government town. everything economic in DC will center around it. Its not like DC is a state capitol with a state house and a small govt district. For DC to diversify economically and not be govt dependent i predict most of that will develop in NoVA or montgomery cty. Unless the height limit on K street and other centralized areas is repealed....
One thing i REALLY need newcomers to understand is that they need to stop making DC into what its not. This is a city of federal govt. Every country has their capitol govt city. cities that are centers of govt and economic centers became that way bc they developed their citys industries much earlier than DC ever even tried to. even the gentrification going on is largely due to an influx of well moneyed govt workers and contractors. Its going to take at least 50 years before DC even starts to compete in that regard. For that to happen new businesses unrelated to govt have to be created that create jobs and whatnot....and unforunately cupcake shops, wine bars and gourmet pizza shops are not going to accomplish that. Pittsburgh and other mid size former rustbelt cities rebuilt themselves off of industrial diversification. Detroit is starting to do the same. Ill agree with you more once i start hearing about biotech labs being built on bladensburg rd or a silicon valley type economy bubbling somewhere else within 495.....
We are talking about 20 years from now. Not 2016.
People keep forgetting that when they post in this thread.
You do realize one of the largest biotech companies is headquartered in Silver Spring right? United Therapeutics. There seems to be a great deal of ignorance of that industry and their presence in the area. This is kind of tip of the iceberg for biotech and pharma in the area. It is true, most of it is in Montgomery County, but it is connected to DC. You do realize Children's hospital is one of the largest research institutions in the country in terms of biomedical research. It's not always drug companies, Children's is a research hospital.
In terms of finance, you have Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, Sallie Mae, and Capital One located in the area. It is far bigger part of the regional economy than you realize. This is not to mention the massive entities of the World Bank and IMF, which are quite literally the two most important financial institutions in terms of sovereign finance.
Never mind the fact DC is the largest city in the US with regards to non-profits and international NGOs. Which may seem like something small, but this is the second fastest growing industry after technology in the US. I should note, this includes micro-finance NGOs which is one of the fastest growing sectors of finance. The DC area is headquarters to several of them.
I should note, educational firms have a massive presence in the area as well. 2U, Rosetta Stone, parchment, Kaplan, etc.
I am not even getting into legal services, because the legal services and supporting industries presence should be obvious at this point.
The areas economy is more diverse than you realize, just because you are ignorant on the economic diversity of the area does not mean it is not there. Let me be clear, you are clearly demonstrating your ignorance. The thing is what I am listing is barely the tip of the iceberg, the DC area economy has a great deal of diversity beyond the federal government.
I often wonder if you're truly that stupid or if you actually believe most of the nonsense you type.
You're missing the point as usual. As a matter of fact, go sit in the corner and learn how to read.
I don't even bother with trying offer a rebuttal, it's like talking to a wall with some of these people.
It is, has, and will always be a one trick pony town. Do they have other businesses here? Yes, of course, but then again, I don't see any businesses clamoring to set up shop or relocate here either.
So is this what you feel or is this a fact? Because what is fact seems to be at odds with what you wrote. And these articles were found dated the same week you made your post.
You do realize one of the largest biotech companies is headquartered in Silver Spring right? United Therapeutics. There seems to be a great deal of ignorance of that industry and their presence in the area. This is kind of tip of the iceberg for biotech and pharma in the area. It is true, most of it is in Montgomery County, but it is connected to DC. You do realize Children's hospital is one of the largest research institutions in the country in terms of biomedical research. It's not always drug companies, Children's is a research hospital.
In terms of finance, you have Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, Sallie Mae, and Capital One located in the area. It is far bigger part of the regional economy than you realize. This is not to mention the massive entities of the World Bank and IMF, which are quite literally the two most important financial institutions in terms of sovereign finance.
Never mind the fact DC is the largest city in the US with regards to non-profits and international NGOs. Which may seem like something small, but this is the second fastest growing industry after technology in the US. I should note, this includes micro-finance NGOs which is one of the fastest growing sectors of finance. The DC area is headquarters to several of them.
I should note, educational firms have a massive presence in the area as well. 2U, Rosetta Stone, parchment, Kaplan, etc.
I am not even getting into legal services, because the legal services and supporting industries presence should be obvious at this point.
The areas economy is more diverse than you realize, just because you are ignorant on the economic diversity of the area does not mean it is not there. Let me be clear, you are clearly demonstrating your ignorance. The thing is what I am listing is barely the tip of the iceberg, the DC area economy has a great deal of diversity beyond the federal government.
Agree.
And in 20 years that diversity will be even higher. This is why I say DC will not be a "Government town" in 20 years. This does not mean the Government will no longer be here. It just means it will no longer be DC's main defining characteristic. Just like people think of Paris as more than just a "capital" city.. DC will eventually make the move to being more than just "the Capital of the United States". Its already happening now.
Oh wow, the population of 4 states, and 2 cities including the federal district grew. I'm impressed*
*sarcasm mode on
To be fair, the recent comparison of the metropolitan statistical area that includes DC was also to one that includes parts of four states (PA/NJ/DE/MD) and several cities (Philadelphia, Camden and Wilmington).
But it says more about the respective regions than it does about DC specifically, insofar as DC accounts for a much smaller part of its relevant MSA than Philadelphia does of its MSA.
You do realize one of the largest biotech companies is headquartered in Silver Spring right? United Therapeutics. There seems to be a great deal of ignorance of that industry and their presence in the area. This is kind of tip of the iceberg for biotech and pharma in the area. It is true, most of it is in Montgomery County, but it is connected to DC. You do realize Children's hospital is one of the largest research institutions in the country in terms of biomedical research. It's not always drug companies, Children's is a research hospital.
In terms of finance, you have Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, Sallie Mae, and Capital One located in the area. It is far bigger part of the regional economy than you realize. This is not to mention the massive entities of the World Bank and IMF, which are quite literally the two most important financial institutions in terms of sovereign finance.
Never mind the fact DC is the largest city in the US with regards to non-profits and international NGOs. Which may seem like something small, but this is the second fastest growing industry after technology in the US. I should note, this includes micro-finance NGOs which is one of the fastest growing sectors of finance. The DC area is headquarters to several of them.
I should note, educational firms have a massive presence in the area as well. 2U, Rosetta Stone, parchment, Kaplan, etc.
I am not even getting into legal services, because the legal services and supporting industries presence should be obvious at this point.
The areas economy is more diverse than you realize, just because you are ignorant on the economic diversity of the area does not mean it is not there. Let me be clear, you are clearly demonstrating your ignorance. The thing is what I am listing is barely the tip of the iceberg, the DC area economy has a great deal of diversity beyond the federal government.
This area must be ignorant as all getup then. because you dont run into that many people who work for those firms you mention. But ill tell you what i do run into alot of. Fed agency workers. lobbyists. hill interns. govt contractors. WMATA operators, bus drivers and other miscellaneous workers. WASA employees. Teachers. IT specialists for govt contractors and agencies. Most scientists i meet who move here either work at NASA out in greenbelt or their policy hacks.
Those firms u mention i dont doubt their existence. But the federal and district govt agencies grossly overshadow if not completely dwarf out their presence. So I dont speak of ignorance, I just speak from common knowledge and good ol fashioned common sense. BC most engineering professionals and a large bulk of scientists do not move here to actually practice their craft. Finance and insurance is largely for federal and govt purposes. and World Bank and IMF really? You know they dont operate on the same wavelength as someone like bank of america or wells fargo.
U goto Charlotte its a banking town. Goto Pittsburgh its a steel town converting to biotech, robotics and lightweight finance and insurance. Detroit was autoplant land for years and now theyre slowly converting to other industries. The bay area is famously known for computers and electronics technology. Boston is finance, educational industries and engineering. Baltimore was a heavy industry and seaport city. Hunstville, AL (albeit a unkown small city outside of the south) is a engineering and science town due to NASA and other aerospace industries and entities in that area. Chicago, New York, Los Angeles, toronto, and other mega cities rose to fame on the back of multiple lucrative industries. You goto these cities those industries have a dominant obvious presence that cant be ignored; thats why those cities reputations are associated with them. Alot of the local sports arenas and other public facilities in those cities are sponsored and many times bankrolled by the industrial titans from those local industries. DC's industry is government plain and simple. Even some of the local sports teams allude to its federal heritage (ie the capitals the nationals).
and people act like govt in DC is a small mediocre thing. This is the capital of a large and one of hte wealthiest nations on the planet. So unsurprisingly theres a shotton of federal and national monuments, agencies and other buildings associated with the federal govt. Heck to pay homage to the nation many of the citys major strips are named after US states.
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