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Irvine....I'm hopeful but am also worried. We seem to be headed for a lot of issues with China and people are exiting California. However, it is a very coveted place to live.
I'm in Birmingham. Forty years ago, we had the country's worst unemployment, on par with Flint, Michigan. A used-up industrial town whose downtown was imploding and its main industry of steelmaking had shut down. Even worse, the city's racist past had completely destroyed its reputation with balkanized suburbs. It didn't help that we had to contend with the idiot state government in Montgomery.
Slowly but surely, the city's economy began to diversify into healthcare, banking, publishing, and other manufacturing. The pace was sometimes grinding, the changes were incremental, but the changes came nonetheless. And there were setbacks, chiefly when the banking meltdown hit in 2008. Before that, four superregionals sat on the same street corner facing one another. Within months, two of them were gone, not to mention a lot of jobs.
But again, Birmingham kept making strides. The most visible example is the almost complete renaissance of the city's once-deserted downtown. The economy keeps diversifying. It's gaining a reputation as a minor foodie town. And the city has low unemployment.
Most importantly, the old mossbacks that held us back, particularly in terms of the civil rights era, are all dying off. Cooperation between cities in the metro area is taking place in ways unheard of even ten years ago.
Hey, I'm not trying to oversell things. Lots of work to do. But it's a bazillion times better than what it once was, and certainly defies the stereotypes of what we once were.
So, yeah, I feel pretty good about my city's future.
Alexandria, VA, has a good future ahead of it. If anything, I'm worried about growth being too quick. I haven't bought a home yet but prices are going through the roof. They're already higher than D.C. proper and Amazon HQ2 will just accelerate those trends.
For a 15 square mile city, however, Alexandria has very strong bones.
Old Town Alexandria is becoming less of a destination though as D.C. has upped its offerings, Fairfax has Mosaic, PG County now has National Harbor, Tysons has ballooned in size. So I think Old Town will have to reinvent itself. Lots of food offerings, but shopping is atrocious (unless you're a grandma who likes antiques and wallflower and Christian bookstores).
I'm in Birmingham. Forty years ago, we had the country's worst unemployment, on par with Flint, Michigan. A used-up industrial town whose downtown was imploding and its main industry of steelmaking had shut down. Even worse, the city's racist past had completely destroyed its reputation with balkanized suburbs. It didn't help that we had to contend with the idiot state government in Montgomery.
Slowly but surely, the city's economy began to diversify into healthcare, banking, publishing, and other manufacturing. The pace was sometimes grinding, the changes were incremental, but the changes came nonetheless. And there were setbacks, chiefly when the banking meltdown hit in 2008. Before that, four superregionals sat on the same street corner facing one another. Within months, two of them were gone, not to mention a lot of jobs.
But again, Birmingham kept making strides. The most visible example is the almost complete renaissance of the city's once-deserted downtown. The economy keeps diversifying. It's gaining a reputation as a minor foodie town. And the city has low unemployment.
Most importantly, the old mossbacks that held us back, particularly in terms of the civil rights era, are all dying off. Cooperation between cities in the metro area is taking place in ways unheard of even ten years ago.
Hey, I'm not trying to oversell things. Lots of work to do. But it's a bazillion times better than what it once was, and certainly defies the stereotypes of what we once were.
So, yeah, I feel pretty good about my city's future.
Excellent post, MinivanDriver! It's a beautiful place full of friendly people, on a very positive trajectory. It's a shame that it flies under the radar here. The revitalization of Downtown is beyond impressive, and I totally agree that the future looks good for the area.
Cautiously optimistic about Miami's future, although long term I believe there's a cap to its growth due to sea level rise.
Jax I'm a bit more bullish on...the growth and long term potential is strong and will only improve if/when they get the right leadership in place. What they've accomplished over the past 2 decades with mostly crappy leadership is astounding.
I see a bright future in my city, but I am also very worried, not only for my city, but for the entire world. Things are going pretty bad everywhere and I just hope for the best.
Boston? Yeah. It's the nation's leader in Healthcare, Education and Biotech/Biochemistry/Life Sciences Research.. which are probably the three most important fields in today's climate. I think it will see a bright future, but housing costs and infrastructure definitely limit how much it can grow or if it can sustain being the nation's leader in the three fields. But for the immediate future, I cannot see Boston doing as bad as other cities. It has the ingredients.. but let's see if it can bake the cake.
Central New Jersey area? I think this area will do well. As New Yorkers fleeing to everywhere outside NYC, NJ is becoming a hot bed for relocation. Parts of CNJ are 45 from Manhattan and 45 from the beaches. It makes it ideal to live and work .. while staying affordable. The climate is also great instead of moving too far south where it gets sticky and hot. So yeah, I see it going down a positive trend as well.
Location: East of Seattle since 1992, 615' Elevation, Zone 8b - originally from SF Bay Area
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I live in Sammamish WA, population about 65,000, with great schools, very little crime, and a few small developments of new homes starting over $1 million. We bought here for the reasons above, and have stayed 27 years so far raising 3 kids here. I don't see any reason that would change, with so many people wanting to live here, and so many high paying jobs in the region that people can afford to buy here.
Irvine....I'm hopeful but am also worried. We seem to be headed for a lot of issues with China and people are exiting California. However, it is a very coveted place to live.
A lot of them are heading to Nashville where the future is very bright.
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Why or why not?
