'"Youth Magnet" Cities Hit Midlife Crisis. So here's the question I'm left with: if you can't find a job, why and how would you live someplace? Because Portland was doing well in the 90s from the regional boom, but it never really recovered from the 2001 recession. It's interesting to me that people will flock there for quality of life issues without the ability to obtain the cash that enables quality of life.
One of my coworkers is originally from Phoenix but moved back from Portland. All her family is local, which influenced the decision, but she also moved for job opportunities. She is renting out her house in hopes of going back.
It's also interesting because it's the same story for slightly different reasons in Cleveland. People stay because they have family, love the city (whatever) and like the weather and the cost of living is low, but there are no jobs. But yet they stay. And I don't get it, because to me the whole being able to support yourself issue is paramount. I think it would have been a lot harder to pry me out of Cleveland if I had had a decent job.
I have to cop to another prejudice--I much prefer a city culturally influenced by cheerful Mormons and evangelicals to one influenced by hipsters. I like the suburbs. But while I would describe my relationship with Phoenix as a mutually satisfying hookup, I don't know if it's permanent. Now that they're having a baby, I'll tag along with Dusie and Jesse X longer, but if opportunities are in other places, I realize I might have to leave.
3 comments:
Aside from the distance from family issue, that is why we decided not to go to Portland. It's apparently utopia if you can find a job, but it is mainly a service economy and even that is filled to capacity, so you can't even fall back on the "i'll wait tables" or "i'll work in a coffee shop" backup plan. They could use more cheese shops tho ;).
Hey, I live in Arizona because I was guaranteed a job here and replacing it elsewhere in the same field in this economy, with my qualifications, was a non-starter. Fortunately, my boss is looking seriously at acquisitions in the major chicken-raising states, should I ever need to chuck it all and raise chickens.
I'm in rural Missouri because that is where I found a good paying job. Once I have enough experience I'd like to move somewhere closer to a city and airport. My mother would love me to move back to Cleveland but the weather and job market keep me away. Ideally I'd be within a 6 hour drive or within 30 minutes of an airport so that I can visit several times a year but still have a job and a social life.
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