What is the current "It City" in the US? (job market, taxes)
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Yeah I was very specific about the tech industry in particular because that's the industry Austin is supposedly positioning itself in as a hub of, RIGHT?
I have read articles and have personally spoke to tech entrepreneurs who are Black and/or Latino that found Miami the most welcoming to them, and I applaud that.
I just don't see that happening in Austin as it's too much like here in this regard, which is sad, hopefully that will change.
The premise of that article isn't true tho. The city and metro both gained blacks in the 2020 census. There is gentrification across the city because land values have increased massively. In any case, Austin has an above average asian population and very large Hispanic population. The idea that it's a particularly white city nationally simply isn't rooted in reality.
The premise of that article isn't true tho. The city and metro both gained blacks in the 2020 census. There is gentrification across the city because land values have increased massively. In any case, Austin has an above average asian population and very large Hispanic population. The idea that it's a particularly white city nationally simply isn't rooted in reality.
Great, but as I stated, simply being a majority minority city is no guarantee of the same thing happening in your tech industry.
I have seen evidence that the Miami tech scene is more inclusive.
Which is why I said Austin is the 'it' city for white techies aka tech bros.
Miami is emerging as the 'it' place for the rest of us in that industry.
Austin competes, and in the tech field, completely outclasses Dallas and Houston, in corporate locations, massive new factories, and new residential towers as well as population growth, where it was estimated to be the 4th fastest growing city after Dallas, Phoenix and Houston with the caveat of it being the pandemic years. Unless we lower the definition of "it". Austin's the only it city when compared to the growth in American cities any time from 1960-2010.
Austin, is probably also going to be the only major city in the U.S to grow faster numerically between 2020 and 2030, than in 2000-2010 or 2010-2020. It might also beat it percent wise as the suburbs are getting just as many major announcements which will spur local growth.
Also while, Austin caters to white techies, it is also a majority-minority city. Just to show how diverse the population growth is, the black population grew 25% between 2010 and 2020. Small base, yes, it's only 15,000 more black people in city limits. It's Asian population grew 49%. Yes, within city limits, it's Asian population grew 49%. It's Hispanic population, the slowest growth still grew 15% between 2010 and 2020. It's white population in comparison grew 20%.
Another thing about Austin is a lot of it's diversity is in it's burbs. Kyle, Buda, Manor, Elgin, Round Rock, Taylor, Hutto, Leander, Cedar Park and especially Pflugerville are all diverse communities. Now it's not the most diverse, as far as I know theirs's no city in the Austin area with 10%+ let alone 15%+ of all the major races. But how many diverse cities even have that.
Even the suburbs are getting expensive in Austin. That's going to slow down some of the growth you're predicting. Real estate agents loved to brag about how cheap the suburbs were in Austin, but they can't do that anymore.
You may end up being correct, but don't be shocked if there's a slowdown.
Tech is like the stone in Guardians of the Galaxy. If just a few cities hold it they won't survive. But everybody hold hands and shares it, they'll spread the energy and maybe even grow stronger.
Great, but as I stated, simply being a majority minority city is no guarantee of the same thing happening in your tech industry.
I have seen evidence that the Miami tech scene is more inclusive.
Which is why I said Austin is the 'it' city for white techies aka tech bros.
Miami is emerging as the 'it' place for the rest of us in that industry.
Perhaps this is against the prevailing wisdom, but personally I don't think the demographics of the tech industry are particularly limited by "inclusivity". It's a pipeline problem and if there is a single root problem I'd put it on our poor public school systems.
The reality is that the best way to get a demographically diverse tech scene is to have less skilled roles. Call centers are a lot more diverse than engineering teams. I'm in a FAANG office in Austin that is arguably the most diverse in gender and ethnicity of any major office in the company. It helps that we have a higher percentage of recruiting and sales and a lower percentage of engineering than the Bay Area offices.
Perhaps this is against the prevailing wisdom, but personally I don't think the demographics of the tech industry are particularly limited by "inclusivity". It's a pipeline problem and if there is a single root problem I'd put it on our poor public school systems.
The reality is that the best way to get a demographically diverse tech scene is to have less skilled roles. Call centers are a lot more diverse than engineering teams. I'm in a FAANG office in Austin that is arguably the most diverse in gender and ethnicity of any major office in the company. It helps that we have a higher percentage of recruiting and sales and a lower percentage of engineering than the Bay Area offices.
Yes there are many factors to consider, but Im talking about actual founders of start ups.
Quote:
The rise of remote work during the pandemic led several Silicon Valley venture capitalists to escape California, with its wildfires and high taxes. Miami, with a large Latino population, and Atlanta, with a large Black population, have both seen higher interest...
Florida and Georgia were the only states with significant deal flow that showed an increase in the number of deals for Black and Latino companies. The number of such deals rose to 41 from 35 in Florida, and 23 from 21 in Georgia. Deals to minority founders in Florida were 4.5% of the total $6.9 billion of funding, up from 2.5% in the previous five years.
Austin is the obvious answer, but it's going have to keep building up (Vancouver/Miami style), it's getting laughably expensive and the infrastructure can't handle the growth. It's already sprawling like crazy up north, and only the techies are going to be able to afford downtown or even the city core. Growth is going to start going south more and more.
With that said, I'd throw in San Antonio to the list. It's already growing at a rapid clip on it's own and not to mention tons of people are moving here from Austin because they got priced out. Downtown and the areas surrounding it are having an urban renaissance and the suburbs keep growing north/west.
I think in the next 10 years, at the rate Schertz/Cibolo, New Braunfels, San Marcos and Kyle/Buda are growing, SA and Austin are going to be in CSA territory.
That's because you really don't know Greenville. Furman University, along with regional assets like Lake Jocassee, Lake Keowee, Chimney Rock, Caesar's Head, etc. are all pretty special and they are a big part of Greenville's overall appeal. And even more importantly, the Greenville area works very, very well for blue-collar workers or those without a college degree in terms of both job opportunities and cost of living. Neither of my younger millenial siblings (my married sister and unmarried brother who lives alone) have a four-year degree yet they were able to purchase their first 3BR/2BA single-family homes in metro Greenville a few years ago pretty comfortably. Even though they've had to change jobs since then, it never became a hardship since the area's advance manufacturing base is so dense that their times between jobs was negligible. Personally I find that to be equally as impressive as its downtown. On top of that, neighboring Spartanburg is following closely in Greenville's footsteps on both fronts and it doesn't hurt to have Clemson not far away either.
The Upstate has truly come into its own over the past couple of years and is a pretty special region when it comes to livability and QOL. Those are the qualities that ultimately make for an "it" city.
I didn't exactly do that since I said my answer to the question in the post title is Charleston and I mentioned those other cities to contest another poster's assertion that Greenville is too small to be an "it" city when they are all similarly-sized peers. But the fact of the matter is that these days, Greenville gets nearly as many mentions as Charleston as an in-state destination of interest and is on par with Asheville as a destination within the larger upstate SC/western NC region. I know lists are pretty ubiquitous these days, but I think Conde Naste is one of the more reputable ones and Greenville has officially joined that crowd. I was pretty surprised to see it myself.
I know the Greenville area very well. No way is Greenville on par with Asheville as a destination. People from all over the world visit Asheville for a multitude of reasons. The same cannot be said of Greenville, to the same extent. The areas you highlighted are not in Greenville. With the exception of Lake Keowee, they are near the SC/NC border about 40 minutes away. Chimney Rock is in western NC, even furthur away. Even Lake Keowee, although a little closer to Greenville, is still not real close. Furman is near Travelers Rest, again not in Greenville. I will give you - property is cheaper in Greenville than western NC. There’s a reason for this - demand and desirability. With the exception of downtown, which is very nice, there is nothing particularly appealing about Greenville, IMO..
On a slight tangent, what factors do you think are holding Greenville back from reaching its potential?
I’m genuinely curious as I’m trying to learn more about the city and the Upstate is an area I’m not especially knowledgeable of. I’m thinking airport routes and schools are a couple weak points. A relatively high state income tax doesn’t help either.
It depends on how you define ‘holding it back’. Greenville does well in terms of business in the upstate region. Schools are on par with other parts of the south. GSP is a very nice airport, but it’s proximity to AVL and CLT holds it back. Other than possibly Lake Keowee, I don’t know why anyone would want to use Greenville as a base for visiting the mountains of western NC. Asheville is much better suited for that, and is a much more interesting city with more to offer tourists. For cost conscious retirees, Greenville is a good choice. Well-heeled retirees usually select western NC as price is not so important, weather is milder, and it is more scenic.
Nashville rightfully gets talked about as a strong candidate for being the current "It" city, but the latest 2021 Census estimates have me scratching my head
Davidson County shows a net loss of nearly 12,000 between the 2020 Census and July 1, 2021. What gives?
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