Not So Much ‘New York Poor’ as ‘Pittsburgh Rich’

Popping the cool city migration bubble at Pacific Standard magazine.

Theme: Ironic migration.

Subject Article: "Career ambitions, higher cost of living erode Austin’s ‘Slacker’ vibe."

Other Links: 1. "'Pittsburgh Rich' or New York poor?"
2. "A Message to the City Builders of Tomorrow."
3. "Young people are NOT leaving Pittsburgh: Statistics in hand, Chris Briem is happy to explode the myth of a continuing exodus."
4. "The Rise of the Creative Class: Why cities without gays and rock bands are losing the economic development race."
5. "Young And In Debt In New York City."
6. "Watch out Portland, Pittsburgh's lookin' hip: Is it really possible we are actually, authentically cool?"
7. "The young people myth: Pittsburgh is attracting talented young workers and could be poised to become one of the nation’s most youthful cities."

Postscript: I've woven a bunch of blog themes into this little post. A good as spot as any to double down on the producer city versus consumer city. Check out page 11 of this presentation. The scholar compares Pittsburgh with Asheville, two metros with similar gains in college graduates. Pittsburgh has 4 out of 4 positive labor market outcomes associated with its brain gain. Asheville has 0 out of 4. Portland, OR is also 0 for 4, sporting negative labor market outcomes across the board. I think the difference is talent production instead of talent attraction. Amenities as a lure wastes talent. A more organic boost to the college educational attainment rate informs a better labor market and healthier economic development.