Oh, how I love the Style section of the New York Times. Today they have a very relevant article you might like:
What Do Young Jobseekers Want?
It’s about our generation (Gen X/Y) choosing to live in areas that are clean, cultured, and safe. Or at least more diverse and creative  but tidy and attractive work, too:
Sixty-five percent of 1,000 respondents aged 24 to 35 who were asked by the Segmentation Company, a division of the marketing consultant Yankelovich, said they preferred to “look for a job in the place that I would like to live,� rather than “look for the best job I can find, the place where it is located is secondary.�
They also told researchers that places must be safe, clean and green. The most-cited quality was tidiness and attractiveness (78 percent) followed by “will allow me to lead the life I want to lead� (77 percent).
Urban leaders are increasingly courting young workers, because as baby boomers retire, Gen Y will have to fill the gap. Across the country, cities are scrambling to become the place that recent grads want to be.
This article hits home. My boyfriend and I are perfect examples. We both left the states where we attended college to move to more urban environments. As did our siblings and friends. In fact, the Midwestern state that I left is finally waking up to its so-called “Brain Drain”. But is it doing anything to stop the exodus of educated young people? Making their cities more livable or green? No. And that’s partly why we left.
Culture and creative opportunities should not be sequestered to college towns or urban areas. I think the really smart cities are those who see the economic potential of attracting us. Collectively, we should seize upon our youthful (economic) attractiveness and demand that the places we live develop into more livable and green communities. Sidewalks! Public Transportation! Diversity in job opportunities and cultures! Arts!
Here is a city that I think is doing it right and isn’t mentioned in this New York Times article: Chattanooga, Tennessee.
First, I have to admit I’ve never been to Chattanooga. But therein lives the proof that they are doing something right: putting their city in front of our demographic. And what are they selling? A livable city with an emphasis on culture, cleanliness, and the environment. An earlier NYT article called the city “a gem”.
Chattanooga is actively recruiting artists of every description, too. They know that creative folks help energize a city. Get this: Chattanooga is offering incentives for artists to buy homes in some of the neediest areas to spark economic growth. Would you say no to $15,000 applied to your mortgage?
I wouldn’t! Which is why Chattanooga is now on my radar… and a true contender if we decide to leave Manhattan.
September 13th, 2007 at 6:13 pm
Please, any site but that ugly, horrendous, “Choose Chattanooga” website. A much better example of how Chattanooga is looking to attract artists & creatives is CreateHere.org
September 14th, 2007 at 11:30 am
Yes, I agree that’s a much nicer looking site. Thanks for the tip!