Quote:
Originally Posted by rs913
Good stories....I myself can relate to a lot of that.
My point is that more of those same people, if they were in their early 20s now (vs 10-15 years ago), might choose not to take the plunge. And the ones that did might choose to leave sooner, given how two things seem to be changing: (1) NYC housing and costs getting even crazier, even relative to wages, and (2) the slowly increasing relative attractiveness of smaller cities.
It's also worth pointing out that the housing crunch in NYC means a typical young recent grad-type's apartment will be smaller, older, grungier, smaller, require more roommates, smaller, further away from where you work and play, and did I mention smaller? And cost of living means less money to enjoy the place you moved to. So these aren't just numbers, these are things that affect the stories their NYC friends will tell them about what it's really like to live there, thus affecting whether they choose to take the plunge.
It's true that some of them will just get replaced by wealthy Eurotrash trust-fund kids from abroad, but then you'd still see a change in the smaller American cities in terms of more young people sticking around, since the people replacing them in NYC aren't coming from there.
I'll admit I'm a little biased here in that I hope my theory is right. It's easier to root for Nashville or Pittsburgh to become cooler, than it is to root for NYC to become (even) cooler.  |
i think you are right on point. i wonder if this is somehow quantifiable? it would have to be a sum of a number of factors no doubt. but the more other cities offer the same types of urban amenities, like upping the game downtown, varied living options, the arts, improved transit, etc., etc., the less attractive the coasts become.
the wildcard factor is jobs. no matter what kind of bargain your apt or house is, you still gotta work. i wish more bright young people would go into city and regional government service or careers and help make the kinds of smart changes that are needed.