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^It may be a matter of getting people from bigger cities like Chicago and Detroit, in which both Grand Rapids and Kalamazoo are in between and getting those from smaller towns/cities nearby.
With Kalamazoo, it is also home to a pretty big university in Western Michigan University and Amway has its HQ's just outside of Grand Rapids, among other companies based there. So, those are perhaps a couple of things that may attract people from other parts of the country.
Sticking with the region I’m most familiar with, I’m going with Birmingham and Winston-Salem. Both are old industrial cities that have been redeveloping their urban cores in cool ways that make them (IMO) more interesting urban environments than standard sunbelt cities. Both have strong and growing research presences—Wake Forest in Winston, and UAB in Birmingham. Both have great locations: Winston in the beautiful rolling Piedmont, close to the Blue Ridge Mountains, Charlotte, and Raleigh; and Birmingham is nestled in the Appalachian foothills with a good logistics standpoint being a couple hours from ATL and Nashville, and only a few hours up the interstate from important ports and beautiful beaches. And of course they’re both decent climates and relatively inexpensive. Potential drawbacks: for B’ham, its crime rates and Alabama’s MAGA bent may scare resources away; and for Winston, it may just continue to be overlooked in favor of its bigger siblings nearby.
Historically, Winston-Salem's biggest obstacle to growth has been its proximity to Charlotte. Wachovia, BB&T, Piedmont Airlines, Krispy Kreme, Wake Forest Baptist, NC Dance Theatre, etc.--all have found their way to Charotte from Winston-Salem or are in the process of doing so. We're talking about some of the biggest and most notable entities based in the city, most having been founded there, that have left over the years with Charlotte being the most popular destination for those departures. That's really tough because the city has a notable history with a lot of character. Although in many cases the loss of corporate headquarters amounts to a bruised ego more than anything, losing several over the last 20-25 years amounts to more than that; it's the loss of philanthropy, economic spin-off, expertise, name recognition, etc. And actual jobs on top of that.
My guess would be Buffalo/Rochester. I'm sure people will disagree but both of these cities have a lot going for them. Of course it won't happen over night but it will be very interesting to see what these 2 cities are like 20-30 years from now.
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Last edited by columbusboy8; 10-15-2020 at 02:00 PM..
My guess would be Buffalo/Rochester. I'm sure people will disagree but both of these cities have a lot going for them. Of course it won't happen over night but it will be very interesting to see what these 2 cities are like 20-30 years from now.
I couldn't rep you, but something that a lot of people may not know about the Rochester metro area is that it has never had a population loss in an official census. We'll see, given the circumstances around the census count this year, but it has always shown population growth so far. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roches...k#Demographics (to the right)
Between the 2 CSA's, there are about 2.3 million people in a land area smaller than/about the same size as the Nashville metro area(6622 square miles between the 2 adjacent CSA's). the metros, which touch are still at 2.2 million people in 4,497 square miles, which is smaller than or about the same land area of metros such as Pittsburgh, Richmond, Louisville, Birmingham, Sacramento, Indianapolis, Columbus OH and Austin.
Last edited by ckhthankgod; 10-15-2020 at 02:35 PM..
I'm going to jump on the Buffalo band wagon here. It has a lot to offer, but I do belief that climate change will be come an increasingly greater factor to the benefit of cities like Buffalo. Cities in the south and southwest are living on borrowed time, IMO.
First and foremost, Philadelphia. The mass "discovery" of Philly began in the mid-2000s, and the city was really hitting its stride just before the pandemic. The best for Philly is yet to come. Even when taking perceived negatives, such as the tax environment, into consideration, I think Philly is uniquely positioned to emerge from this pandemic stronger than ever. Its true "discovery" will come sometime in the 2020s-2040s.
Lancaster, Harrisburg, and Allentown are my picks for smaller PA cities. Lancaster, especially, has a lot of positives: a highly walkable environment, a vibrant downtown, many shops and restaurants, and electrified Amtrak service to Philly and NYC (as well as diesel service to Pittsburgh).
At some point, I do believe that Camden and Wilmington will be discovered. Camden, especially in the Downtown and Cooper Square neighborhoods, is primed for growth. Someone who lives in Downtown Camden will enjoy fantastic views of the Philly skyline and 24/7 service to Philly via PATCO. Wilmington already has unique neighborhoods (such as Trolley Square), and will only get better once its South Side improves.
The Buffalo love in this thread is strange. The MSA has lost population every decade since 1970. What would reverse this trend? People aren’t going to flock to a region known for lake effect snow just because it has cheap housing and parks. If “climate change” affects other regions, it would also create more extreme weather I.e. more snow storms in Buffalo. There are economically stronger cities in the upper Midwest that would benefit from a climate migration before Buffalo.
The question I have about cities like Grand Rapids is how much of that growth simply stems from being the biggest and perhaps economically healthiest city in a sub-region and thus drawing in people from smaller/worse off areas within a 100-150 miles of the city.
I think there's a significant difference between being a regional growth hub and a national destination. Most national destinations are also regional growth hubs, but not all regional growth hubs are national destinations. A good example for a regional growth hub IMO is Sioux Falls, SD whereas a good example for a national destination would be Austin or Nashville.
Yep, a lot of GR’s growth is due to migration from rural areas in Western and Northern MI. Michigan is not a very transplant-heavy state. GR also benefits from being less burdened by the historical ties to the automotive industry in Southeast MI.
I do think GR has a lot to offer but it doesn’t have much of a profile outside the state of Michigan.
The Buffalo love in this thread is strange. The MSA has lost population every decade since 1970. What would reverse this trend? People aren’t going to flock to a region known for lake effect snow just because it has cheap housing and parks. If “climate change” affects other regions, it would also create more extreme weather I.e. more snow storms in Buffalo. There are economically stronger cities in the upper Midwest that would benefit from a climate migration before Buffalo.
Climate Change. Literally. Climate Change. And that's not how Lake Effect Snow Works either... They don't become "more severe" from Climate change. Actually, the reverse happens.
Density, the Bones of the city, the urban planning of the city also make Buffalo extremely vulnerable to gentrification and vast growth.
Have you ever been there either? It's a vibrant city with a lot of potential located just 2 hours from Toronto. There's a lot going on for it.
Rochester has 1/2 the lake effect snow. Another great, probably the best, contender.
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