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Much of the growth of the south is due to a race to the bottom. The Southerners believe that cheaper is better and they are happy to undercut northerners by demanding less in return for their labor. They are willing to have a lower quality of life for the privilege of having a job in the South. They make union contracts illegal and brag about how pro freedom they are. police check points are rampant and they throw more citizens in prison than anywhere else in the world. They're perfectly happy with making the working class people pay taxes that are redistributed to bribing companies to come over.
Eventually that'll collapse on them, or they will be undercut by mexico when they get their act together. As far as energy goes, oil will become less of a factor when alternative energy is viable but it'll still be needed for plastics and crap like that. When salt water desalination becomes more common place, the west will be in a much better position.
Weather - I do think a lot of people from the upper mid-west and northeast prefer the southern weather so there will always be families who move south for that.
umm, who's being defensive?? Every post that is not rosy about Michigan you have to counter. Yes everyone has different desires. There is nothing wrong with folks giving their opinion about areas of the country. For that matter I was in Michigan the last couple weeks (GR/DET) and heard many customers complain how the Summer has sucked, colder temps (60s), wet, kind of a bummer after coming of a ridiculously bad winter...
I was in Michigan earlier in the summer and it was quite cool there. One day the high was 65 in July. Most of my week there it was in the low to mid 70s, very comfortable. Upper Midwest states like Michigan are very comfortable in the summer, that is the best time of the year there. Now does that mean people will ever flock to those states??? Current trends have them fleeing much of the Midwest. However some Midwest places are doing well, Minneapolis is growing, and the Dakota oil boom is legendary. Other parts of the North will grow as well, parts of New England are popular and another town that gets a lot of attention lately is Pittsburg Pa. So yes parts of the north will boom. A water shortage in the west could even make Michigan grow again, in spite of its recent history. If the water runs short in the west, their boom will end abrubtly. The southeast however likely will continue to grow or at least have a stable population.
Much of the growth of the south is due to a race to the bottom. The Southerners believe that cheaper is better and they are happy to undercut northerners by demanding less in return for their labor. They are willing to have a lower quality of life for the privilege of having a job in the South. They make union contracts illegal and brag about how pro freedom they are. police check points are rampant and they throw more citizens in prison than anywhere else in the world. They're perfectly happy with making the working class people pay taxes that are redistributed to bribing companies to come over.
Eventually that'll collapse on them, or they will be undercut by mexico when they get their act together. As far as energy goes, oil will become less of a factor when alternative energy is viable but it'll still be needed for plastics and crap like that. When salt water desalination becomes more common place, the west will be in a much better position.
Weather - I do think a lot of people from the upper mid-west and northeast prefer the southern weather so there will always be families who move south for that.
Whether or not some people prefer Southern weather doesn't really matter. I've said over and over again that the number of people that actually move for weather-related reasons is extremely small. It will always be about economic factors like jobs.
I live in CT and most of the people in my apartment complex are NOT from CT. Some of them are from states like Florida and Texas. Weird, right? Well, they're here for college or work related reasons. My area of CT (Fairfield County, near NYC) is booming a bit. Lots of new apartment complexes and JOBS!
Another area of New England that's booming a little is Boston, with lots of biotech industry there now. New Hampshire to a lesser extent. However, Rhode Island is an epic disaster right now.
The definition of "boom" is completely different in the north and the south. States like Georgia, Florida, North Carolina, Tennessee and Texas have added millions of people in recent decades, while many states in the Northeast and Midwest have struggled to maintain just moderate growth. And I don't see that changing anytime soon. The Sunbelt will always have the advantage of better weather, and for the time being anyway, a lower cost of living coupled with a rising standard of living.
It will require something quite momentous to reverse that trend. People will never "move north" in large numbers as they did during the Great Migration. That era of American history has sailed.
Over the past 10-20 years, the South has been seeing massive influx of transplants, job creation, rapid neighborhood development and all sorts of growth. Is there any evidence or reason to believe that this growth will taper off and stabilize?
Likewise, is there any evidence or reason to believe that places in the Midwest and Northeast will see gains in population growth, job creation, infrastructure expansion and the like?
I mean, certain areas are out of control, like Phoenix, Atlanta, Charlotte, and still Florida and Texas.
It seems like rapid growth is over with in California and the Northeast, however.
What do you think will happen in the future to the various metro areas and regions of the nation?
"Will the North ever boom again"?
We never stopped booming. People move south and move back. Most are not welcomed.
We never stopped booming. People move south and move back. Most are not welcomed.
I like to visit warm places in the winter.
The "New South" was a Reagan Era myth.
This is true. I know many, many people who "tried" states like Florida, South Carolina, North Carolina, Georgia, and Texas and ended up moving back with a fresh appreciation of what they left behind. We did the same with Arizona.
I have nothing against any of those states, and they all have their fine qualities, but you know the old saying..."There's no place like home". There's something to be said for living somewhere where you share the same culture and deep roots with the people around you.
This is true. I know many, many people who "tried" states like Florida, South Carolina, North Carolina, Georgia, and Texas and ended up moving back with a fresh appreciation of what they left behind. We did the same with Arizona.
I have nothing against any of those states, and they all have their fine qualities, but you know the old saying..."There's no place like home". There's something to be said for living somewhere where you share the same culture and deep roots with the people around you.
I have nothing against these states either. But, I am not a Southerner. I am not of Scots-Irish or Englisg decent. Barbeque is not a comfort food. Rodeo is not entertainment and I am a fundamentalist Christian.
My feelings about the Civil War and civil rights are strong and mainstream.
The Carolinas are not all that warm year round to make up for the long hot summers/
We left NY first for PA - but did not find "home" there. Then for Northern Ohio.
We love it. Culture. Education. Natural beauty. And friendly and welcoming people. With a insanely low cost of living.
People are not politically extreme either. They are friendly and welcoming. With this COL, I can afford a little place somewhere warm for Late Jan. and Feb. The only moths I can complain about a little.
I also expect to see growth in Michigan and Chicago, as a more affordable alternative to NYC.
Many college age kids have their eyes on the lofts of Cleveland also.
This is true. I know many, many people who "tried" states like Florida, South Carolina, North Carolina, Georgia, and Texas and ended up moving back with a fresh appreciation of what they left behind. We did the same with Arizona.
I have nothing against any of those states, and they all have their fine qualities, but you know the old saying..."There's no place like home". There's something to be said for living somewhere where you share the same culture and deep roots with the people around you.
That's the odd problem that I've had ever since I moved back to my home town. I should have gone farther south, or to a larger metro area and that's my plan now. Even though I grew up here, I do not share the culture and roots. Not at all. I'm different ethnic background, educational level, core values, "family values," expectations and aspirations, etc. Much of the reason for that the area, like Pittsburgh, lost a generation of college grads and professional people due to lack of jobs for them. (And then it lost the manufacturing industries that had bouyed up all of the unskilled factory workers, so there are few jobs at all, LOL.)
This is true. I know many, many people who "tried" states like Florida, South Carolina, North Carolina, Georgia, and Texas and ended up moving back with a fresh appreciation of what they left behind. We did the same with Arizona.
I have nothing against any of those states, and they all have their fine qualities, but you know the old saying..."There's no place like home". There's something to be said for living somewhere where you share the same culture and deep roots with the people around you.
This is very true. I used to want to move to places like Raleigh, Charlotte, Atlanta, Houston, Dallas, Austin, Phoenix, Las Vegas, Orlando and SEFL. But after thorough research and real life visits, and reading LOTS of testimony on people who moved to those places, I do not want to move to any of those places. They're all pretty much the same. Giant, flat, congested heat grids. Ugly sprawl and CHEAP tract housing. NO culture, charm, soul or deep history. I have come to the realization that I do not like places that are very transient, popular and full of transplants or are experiencing rapid economic growth. I prefer provincial, slow/moderate growth places with a rich history, diverse selection of housing and a distinctive culture. Places that are established societies.
That doesn't mean that I am anti-sunbelt. The places in the South that do somewhat appeal to me would be places like Wilmington, Asheville, Chattanooga, Charleston, Savannah, Birmingham, Jackson, Hattiesburg, New Orleans, Louisville, Richmond and OKC. These places have retained their cultural identity and have not been invaded by transplants. They are distinctive and have charm.
As we speak, I'm currently looking for a job to relocate back to my home metro area of Hartford, CT. It is a slow growth area that is well past its prime, and many people want to leave. But I don't care. Screw them. I like it. It's a very well balanced place to live with a very high quality of life and HIGH paying jobs, beautiful scenery and some of the best suburbs in America. People are in good shape, educated and progressive. Easy access to NYC, Boston, mountains and beaches. You know what I say? Let them move to their utopia of North Carolina, Florida, Texas or California. The same old damn states that everyone else wants to move to. And they can buy their brand new CHEAP house and then complain about poor schools, no culture, illegal immigrants, boring neighborhoods and unrelenting HEAT.
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