If you were a recent college graduate in a recovering economy launching a career, looking for a mate or both, where would you choose to live?
Predicting cities that will emerge as post-recession meccas for the young is easy to argue about, but impossible to forecast empirically. Whether you prefer hip, casual Austin, Texas, over the cosmopolitan allure of New York City is partly a matter of personal taste. Still, we asked six experts which 10 cities will emerge as the hottest, hippest destinations for highly mobile, educated workers in their 20s when the U.S. economy gets moving again. Our panelists—demographers, economists, geographers and authors on urban issues—picked their cities based on the criteria they deem most important, from economic diversity to lifestyle.
Big cities dominate our panelists' forecasts. Where trendy smaller cities might have captivated youth in the past, today's recession-scarred young people are more pragmatic, placing "greater emphasis on where high-quality, high-paying jobs are created," says Ross DeVol, director of regional economics for the nonprofit Milken Institute. Northeastern and West Coast cities are ascendant, eclipsing former Sunbelt favorites such as Atlanta.
Associated PressThe Next Hot Cities: See the full list.
Other cities once lauded as youth magnets fell off the radar. Naples, Fla., cited in an influential 2003 U.S. Census Bureau report on migration among young adults, was bypassed by panelists, a victim of the sagging Florida economy. The housing collapse sank another past favorite, former real-estate boom town Las Vegas. And Charlotte, N.C., a banking center, lost some of its luster to the financial crisis.
Quirky urban cultures haven't entirely lost their allure. Our panelists' No. 4 pick is a city with double-digit unemployment—Portland, Ore., a haven for artists, musicians and outdoor enthusiasts. The city has shown "staying power" among youth, says Rachel Franklin, a geographer at the University of Maryland and author of the Census Bureau report.
Where young adults settle is no small thing. People 18 to 29 are the most mobile age group, and their past migration patterns have defined the future of regions, from the long rural exodus of the 1900s to the Silicon Valley boom of the 1990s. Youth-magnet cities gain an enviable cultural allure and a labor-market edge.
The young are likely to be more restless than usual when the recovery comes. The recession has brought migration to a grinding halt: Fewer people moved across state lines in 2008 than at any time since 1950, when the population was smaller by half, says William Frey, a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution, a nonprofit Washington research organization.
Here's a look at our survey's top five cities:
First Place (Tie): Washington, D.C.
The 2008 election touched off a youthful pilgrimage to the capital that most panelists say won't end soon. "In the eyes of some young people, Barack Obama is America's coolest boss," says Richard Florida, author of "Who's Your City?" and a professor of business and creativity at the University of Toronto's Rotman School of Management.
Government hiring is projected to grow fast, and jobs in lobbying, aerospace, defense contracting and professional services are also a draw. Mr. DeVol calls Washington the national leader in high-tech services, surpassing Silicon Valley. Washington's 4,000-plus nonprofits hold appeal for service-minded youth. And amid rising regulation of financial markets, says Barbara Lang, president of the DC Chamber of Commerce, "much of Wall Street is now moving to K Street."
David Gibson Jr., 25 years old, passed up finance jobs in Charlotte, New York and Atlanta to settle in Washington as a financial analyst for the Federal Reserve. Mr. Gibson, who has an M.B.A., figures the capital, with its many universities, can accommodate him for the long haul, enabling him to pursue a Ph.D. if he chooses. He loves the city's museums and live jazz and R&B venues, he says, and its power-center status is helping him "expand my network world-wide."
That combination of factors, says David Plane, a professor of geography and regional development at the University of Arizona, signals "sustained dynamism" for Washington.
The downside: Not all see the current federal hiring binge continuing. "Right now Washington is a magnet. It has become the new New York," says Steven Cochrane, managing director of Moody's Economy.com. But the ballooning federal deficit suggests that "by next year, the government is going to be looking seriously at making cuts."
First Place (Tie): Seattle
Former Ohio residents Lane Kuhlman, 26, and her husband, Matt Mansbach, 32, mulled several cities, including New York and Chicago, as potential destinations last summer, after Ms. Kuhlman received her master's degree specializing in interactive media.
In their eyes, none could match Seattle's combination of a diverse high-tech sector, cultural life, access to rugged natural terrain and a strong university presence. Ms. Kuhlman has since taken a post as a new-product researcher for Microsoft, and Mr. Mansbach is weighing attending one of the city's grad schools in his field, computer animation. Meanwhile, Ms. Kuhlman says, "we're only 15 minutes from a beautiful waterfall, and there are amazing places to hike."
Anchor to a region of corporate innovators, from Amazon.com to Starbucks, Seattle is "a high-tech and lifestyle mecca," Dr. Florida says. Mr. DeVol says the city's high-tech sector, with 226,300 workers, is just slightly smaller than Silicon Valley's. Joblessness, at 7.7%, remains relatively low. City officials see rapid growth in biotech; Seattle also has tens of thousands of jobs in music and interactive media. And it enjoys a reputation as home to a lot of brainy people.
The downside: It rains half the time.
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How We Selected Our Top-Rated Cities
Naming the next wave of top cities for hip, highly mobile young adults is far from an exact science. It's more like a parlor game.
The Wall Street Journal sought out six of the nation's leading experts to rank the 10 U.S. cities they see as most likely to emerge as "youth magnet" cities after the recession—popular target destinations among young, college-educated, often single people setting out to start a career, find a mate or both.
The panelists, who were also asked to provide two or three reasons for their selections, were chosen based on their achievements in research, forecasting or authorship in the fields of geography, regional economics or demography.
The methodology used to compile a final list is closer to a straw poll than a scientific study.
Using criteria of their own choosing, experts provided ranked lists of picks. Composite rankings were then assigned to cities based on a point system: Each expert's No. 1 pick was given 10 points, second choices were given nine points and so on, with 10th-place picks receiving one point. Final rankings were determined by adding the total points each city received.
The panelists:
Steven Cochrane , managing director, Moody's Economy.com, head of the Web site's U.S. regional forecasting service and editor of its monthly Regional Financial Review.
Ross DeVol , director of regional economics, the Milken Institute, a Santa Monica, Calif., nonprofit, and researcher on technology and its impact on regional and national economies.
Richard Florida , author of "Who's Your City" and "The Rise of the Creative Class," and director of the Martin Prosperity Institute at the University of Toronto's Rotman School of Management.
Rachel Franklin , senior lecturer, public policy, at the University of Maryland; former deputy director of the Association of American Geographers, and author of a 2003 Census Bureau report on migration patterns among young, educated workers.
William Frey , demographer and senior fellow at the Metropolitan Policy Program of the Brookings Institution, Washington, D.C., and a research professor in population studies at the University of Michigan.
David Plane , professor of geography and regional development, University of Arizona, Tucson; a senior editor of the Journal of Regional Science, and researcher on age-related factors in migration.
Third Place: New York
Reeling from the financial crisis, the nation's largest city may seem an unlikely pick. But one reason New York's unemployment rate is stuck at a daunting 10.3% is that hopeful job seekers continue to move there, city officials say. Clearly, "the city's mythic status as a place to test one's mettle against the best and the brightest" remains intact, Dr. Florida says.
New York hasn't lost as many financial-services jobs as predicted, says Deputy Mayor Robert Lieber; so far, fewer than half of the 293,000 job losses that were projected by the city from 2009 through mid-2010 have materialized. Residential growth in boroughs outside Manhattan, such as Brooklyn, is making the city marginally more affordable, and some panelists see housing prices falling more.
At Vermont's Middlebury College, New York surpasses nearby Boston as the destination of choice for the class of 2010, says Jaye Roseborough, career-services director. Allison Bailey, a 2009 grad, loves the city's "European lifestyle," she says. After studying in France, "I wanted to be in a 'walking city' like Paris." Working lots of overtime as a litigation assistant for a law firm, she can manage the $1,450 monthly rent for her Manhattan studio, she says. And she is happy to leave behind the long car commutes of her native Houston.
The downside: The city is still unaffordable for many, and the less-pricey suburbs can impose enervating commutes.
Fourth Place: Portland, Ore.
Los Angeles native Ryan O'Leary, 23, didn't expect when he graduated from college with a journalism degree last year to be working construction at this point, he says. But he decided about a month ago to give top priority to moving to the place he most wanted to live, and Portland was it—despite its daunting 11.2% unemployment rate.
Mr. O'Leary, who found an apartment downtown, calls his move "the best decision I've made in a long time." He loves the city's nightlife and neighborhoods, and the city's streetcars—one of which stops by his building—are a refreshing change from Los Angeles's car culture. He continues to job-hunt in his field, public relations, on his days off.
A symbol of "West Coast hipness," Ms. Franklin says, Portland has continued to draw migrants through the recession. An urban-growth boundary fosters a strong downtown culture while containing suburban sprawl, easing travel to nearby mountains and forests. Portland has expanded mass transit and boasts sizeable electronics and activewear companies, several wind- and solar-energy firms, and many green-building projects.
Its quirky culture appeals to musicians and artists: The city has more than its share of oddball events, including an adult soap-box derby and an urban Iditarod (wherein costumed revelers pull shopping carts). "Keep Portland Weird" is a popular bumper sticker. Although Austin claimed that motto first in the 1980s, "we live it pretty well here," says a city staffer.
The downside: While regional officials have laid plans to add 10,000 jobs in the next five years, Portland has done better at promoting its quality of life than fostering job growth. "As nice as it may be to live in Portland," says Economy.com's Dr. Cochrane, "you can only sleep on someone's couch for so long. At some point you have to get a job."
Fifth Place: Austin, Texas
After a year spent traveling and working overseas in 2007, New Jersey resident Olga Garcia, 26, and her boyfriend, Kevin Kurkjian, 27, debated places to settle. Then Kevin announced, "Olga, I've got it figured out: We're going to Austin." She agreed. Both had heard from friends that Austin offered housing and career opportunities and a welcoming, youthful culture. "I had never heard anything bad about Austin," says Ms. Garcia, a marketing consultant.
A state capital and the site of a big University of Texas campus, Austin has become a gathering place for tech- and arts-conscious young adults. Its SXSW media and arts conference, and its Austin City Limits music festival, draw hundreds of thousands of visitors each year. Both unemployment and the cost of living are relatively low. And with significant high-tech, videogame and renewable-energy sectors, Mr. DeVol calls Austin "a model for a thriving 21st-century knowledge-based community."
The downside: Some panelists have doubts about how strongly Austin will rebound after the recession.
—Email: Sue.Shellenbarger@wsj.com
The Next Hot Youth-Magnet Cities (yay Seattle!)
![[SB125425047766150153]](http://s.wsj.net/public/resources/images/PJ-AR779_WORKFA_D_20090929152716.jpg)
Our government is helping poor young women overseas
At the US National Science Foundation (NSF), the agency responsible for granting billions of dollars in scientific research grants, the folks who work there apparently have to surf the interwebs to find needy women in other countries who can be helped with our tax dollars. It’s touching, actually.
Apparently, that’s the explanation of one senior exec there who spent at least 331 days looking at porn and chatting with “scantily clad women” while at work.
From the Washington Post:
He explained that these young women are from poor countries and need to make money to help their parents and this site helps them do that," investigators wrote in a memo.
A few other choice tidbits from that article:
The problems at the National Science Foundation (NSF) were so pervasive they swamped the agency's inspector general and forced the internal watchdog to cut back on its primary mission of investigating grant fraud and recovering misspent tax dollars.
"To manage this dramatic increase without an increase in staff required us to significantly reduce our efforts to investigate grant fraud," the inspector general recently told Congress in a budget request. "We anticipate a significant decline in investigative recoveries and prosecutions in coming years as a direct result."
Microsoft Security Essentials anti-virus software is now live and free
Microsoft Security Essentials anti-virus software is now live and free originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 29 Sep 2009 13:27:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Very interesting article about Roman Polanski
You know, I was kinda thinking that since the victim of the rape (he pled guilty) said to leave it alone that the US government should do so. But after reading this, I have to agree that the victim should be left alone and out of this as she should not have to go through all of this again. But he did commit a crime and plead guilty to it. He should be punished. And while some may consider having to live in France punishment, I don’t think that’s what the judge had in mind.
Here’s how the article starts:
Roman Polanski raped a child. Let's just start right there, because that's the detail that tends to get neglected when we start discussing whether it was fair for the bail-jumping director to be arrested at age 76, after 32 years in "exile" (which in this case means owning multiple homes in Europe, continuing to work as a director, marrying and fathering two children, even winning an Oscar, but never -- poor baby -- being able to return to the U.S.). Let's keep in mind that Roman Polanski gave a 13-year-old girl a Quaalude and champagne, then raped her, before we start discussing whether the victim looked older than her 13 years, or that she now says she'd rather not see him prosecuted because she can't stand the media attention. Before we discuss how awesome his movies are or what the now-deceased judge did wrong at his trial, let's take a moment to recall that according to the victim's grand jury testimony, Roman Polanski instructed her to get into a jacuzzi naked, refused to take her home when she begged to go, began kissing her even though she said no and asked him to stop; performed cunnilingus on her as she said no and asked him to stop; put his penis in her vagina as she said no and asked him to stop; asked if he could penetrate her anally, to which she replied, "No," then went ahead and did it anyway, until he had an orgasm.
The rest of the article (entitled “Reminder: Roman Polanski raped a child” can be found here on Slate.
While My Ukelele Gently Weeps
I never appreciated the ukelele quite as much as I have after watching this video. Really beautiful. It doesn’t hurt that it’s such a great song.
You Must Be Certified
From the wilds of Craigslist:
Vampire hunter (Seattle)
Date: 2009-09-28, 9:20AM PDT
I need a certified vampire hunter immediately, I fear for my life everyday. There is someone in my presence who I suspect is a vampire. For non believers, you need not reply, as you are of no concern to me. SERIOUS INQUIRIES ONLY.. I will demand a copy of your certification, and will pay you $50 per hour for your time and investigations.
Location: Seattle
it's NOT ok to contact this poster with services or other commercial interests
Compensation: $50 per hour
I wish I had friends like this. They really care.
Great whaleshark pic
Proud to say I've been in the water with these guys. And one of them nicked one of my fins with his tail (I got a little too close).
Stop messing with the whales
By Louise Gray, Environment Correspondent
Published: 12:01AM BST 23 Sep 2009
Blue Whales used to be abundant in all oceansMan-made noise such as ships' engines has caused hearing loss in whales.
It has also caused other behavioural changes, including forcing the creatures to strand on beaches because they are unable to navigate.
The endangered blue whale uses sonar to navigate, locate prey, avoid predators and communicate.
However in recent years the increasing use of hi-tech sonar by ships, the noise of propellers, seismic surveys, sea-floor drilling, and low-frequency radio transmissions have made oceans noisier.
New research has shown that the whales are having to 'chatter' more often and for longer periods to communicate the location of prey and to mate.
Zoologist Lucia Di Iorio, of the University of Zurich, analysed the song of blue whales recorded by microphones during seismic explorations in the St Lawrence estuary off Canada's north east coast over an eleven day period in August 2004.
"We found that blue whales called consistently more on seismic exploration days than on non-exploration days as well as during periods within a seismic survey day when the sparker was operating," she said.
"This increase was observed for the discrete, audible calls that are emitted during social encounters and feeding."
The study, published in Biology Letters, provides the first evidence that blue whales change their calling behaviour when exposed to sounds from seismic surveys.
"This study suggests careful reconsideration of the potential behavioural impacts of even low source level seismic survey sounds on large whales. This is particularly relevant when the species is at high risk of extinction as is the blue whale," added Dr Di Iorio.
Microsoft "Courier" secret tablet?
Haven't heard a peep about this, but it looks awfully cool.
Am I a bad person for being kinda amused by this?
"Man killed in church after stone altar falls on him"
Link, 45, died instantly as he was crushed under the ancient 860lb monument in the Weinhaus Church in Vienna, Austria.
Roman Hahslinger, a police spokesman, said: "He was a very religious man and had been scared when he was trapped in the lift and had prayed for release.
"A short while later he was pulled out of the elevator and he went straight to the church to thank God.
"He seems to have embraced a stone pillar on which the stone altar was perched and it fell on him, killing him instantly.
"We have found his fingerprints on the pillar. We are now investigating the case further," he added.
Link's body was found by parishioners attending Mass the next day after he had been reported missing by his cousin.
Using Different Passwords
Very good advice in this article: Using Different Passwords.
Recently some hackers got a hold of a list of usernames and passwords for a dating site. By itself, this wouldn’t have been too big of deal. However, many of the victims were using the same password on other sites. This gave the hackers access to many Facebook, MySpace, AIM and GMail accounts.
The hackers then did everything they could to embarrass the victims by posting things online. This ranged from making a minister look like he was having an affair to creating a panic that someone was going to commit suicide.
I’ve previously talked about how it is a good idea to use different passwords, if not for every site, at least for every type of site. (You don’t want to use the same password on a site run by some kid you don’t know as what you use on your banking accounts.) After this incident, I would recommend doing your best to create a unique password for every site you need to log into.
There are programs that help with this. I use 1Password because it keeps things very simple, works on multiple browsers and will automatically log in for you (once you supply the master password). I have over 300 passwords for various websites, so the money on the app is well worth it, for me. A free manual approach would be to use something like password chart.
Regardless of how you manage your passwords, make sure you aren’t betting your security on someone else to follow good security practices in the way they encrypt and store your password.
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15 Weirdest Toddler Halloween Costumes | Momversation
Can you believe it's already halfway through September? Halloween is just around the corner, which means that costume-shopping is in full swing. And while checking out costumes online, we got an eyeful of some of the strangest costumes for toddlers and babies we've ever seen. Here are the 15 weirdest.
15. Whoopie Cushion
Should we really dress our child in a costume that encourages flatulent noises?
14. The Travelocity Gnome
Shilling for corporations at 2? My, how advanced he is! He'll be working for the GOP in no time!
13. Showgirl
Why don't you just stick the nipple-tassel T-shirt on her, buy her the pole dancing doll, and call it a day?
12. Turkey on a Plate
Dressing your baby as a cooked turkey this disturbingly close to Thanksgiving is just asking for trouble.
11. Bag of Money
For your future little Gordon Gecko...
10.Dr. Spock
Why don't you just beat your kid up yourself? I mean, I understand; you're a nerd. But at least give your kid a chance to be cool, jeez.
9. Cheerios Box
I get it; there's a recession. But you can at least try.
8. Darth Vader
Dressing up your toddler as the most evil man in the galaxy? Cute.
7. Oompa Loompa
Oompa, loompa, doopity doo. We have another puzzle for you. Why would you dress your kid up as one of the creepiest movie characters of all time? Look at this poor little girl. She's about to burst into tears, not into songs. "I don't like the look of it," indeed.
6. Michael Jackson
Costuming your child as a man accused of being a pedophile? Nooooot the best taste.
5. Air Freshener
A car air freshener? A car air freshener? It's a costume of a cardboard tree that people throw away after a month. Is there anything cute about this? Cool? Interesting? No! And worst of all, the poor baby doesn't even get to have any arms!
4. Alien Bursting
Hey, I like the Alien movies as much as the next geek, but even in jest, having a projectile burst forth from your baby's chest is just so very wrong. In so many ways.
3. Ax Head
You know what's way funnier than an alien through the chest? An ax in the head.
2. Pimp
You know that there's some idiot parent out there who thinks dressing up a baby as a pimp, a man paid to illegally sell females for sex, a man who often assaults women and sells drugs, is HILARIOUS. I, on the other hand, am absolutely disgusted.
1. Hitler
There are some kids who are just screwed from the get-go because of lousy parenting. They are going to be on the therapist's couch for years... and that's if they're lucky. This poor baby Hitler is one of these kids.
I just... there are no words. It's a toddler dressed as Hitler. Try explaining that to your first girlfriend when she asks to see your baby pictures.
Baby Hitler is my favorite with the Oompa Loompa coming in a close second.
Oh, and when I say favorite, I mean in a weirdo, odd way. But if I had a kid, I might let them go out dressed as an oompa loompa. But probably not as Hitler.
Evil blog – click on individual posts to read
For some weird reason, the background on the main page of this blog has turned black making it hard to read. If you click on a post’s title, it will open up and display properly with a white background. Trying to get Google to help me figure out what’s going on with this. Sigh.
Fixed. All is well now. Whew.
Half of Britons injured by their biscuits on coffee break, survey reveals
Published: 7:00AM BST 08 Sep 2009
At least 500 people have been injured while eating a biscuit during a tea or coffee break, a study found Photo: NEWSTEAMAn estimated 25 million adults have been injured while eating during a tea or coffee break - with at least 500 landing themselves in hospital, the survey revealed.
The custard cream biscuit was found to be the worse offender to innocent drinkers.
It beat the cookie to top a table of 15 generic types of biccy whose potential dangers were calculated by The Biscuit Injury Threat Evaluation.
Hidden dangers included flying fragments and being hurt while dunking in scalding tea through to the more strange such as people poking themselves in the eye with a biscuit or fallen off a chair reaching for the tin.
One man even ended up stuck in wet concrete after wading in to pick up a stray biscuit.
Custard creams get a risk rating of 5.63, the highest of all.
This compared to 1.16 for Jaffa cakes, which was the safest biscuit of all in the evaluation.
Research company Mindlab International were commissioned by Rocky, a chocolate biscuit bar, to conduct the research.
It found almost a third of adults said they had been splashed or scalded by hot drinks while dunking or trying to fish the remnants of a collapsed digestive.
It also revealed 28 per cent had choked on crumbs while one in 10 had broken a tooth or filling biting a biscuit.
More unusually, three per cent had poked themselves in the eye with a biscuit and seven per cent bitten by a pet or "other wild animal" trying to get their biscuit.
Mindlab International director Dr David Lewis said: "We tested the physical properties of 15 popular types of biscuits, along with aspects of their consumption such as 'dunkability' and crumb dispersal.
Mike Driver, Marketing Director for Rocky said: "We commissioned this study after learning how many biscuit related injuries are treated by doctors each year."
The full list of riskiest biscuits:
Custard Cream 5.64
Cookie 4.34
Choc Biscuit Bar (eg: Rocky) 4.12
Wafer 3.74
Rich Tea 3.45
Bourbon 3.44
Oat Biscuit 3.31
Digestive 3.14
Ginger Nut 2.99
Shortbread 2.90
Caramel Shortcake 2.76
Nice Biscuit 2.27
Iced Biscuits/Party Rings 2.16
Chocolate Finger 1.38
Jaffa Cakes 1.16
I love that they rated donuts for their danger potential....
Old shots of LA (Southern Cal & surrounding area)
Dodger Stadium Construction 1961
Pacific Electric Subway Cars
Reseda Blvd from Devonshire
Ventura Blvd in Sherman Oaks 1910-1920
Los Feliz Blvd in Atwater Village , 1920
Flooded street intersection, 6th and Mariposa 1920
Courthouse and Hall of Records
7th and Broadway
6th Street Bridge
Ocean Piers
Broadway and 6th
Hill and 3rd 1978
Forced eviction of Chavez Ravine 1959 (for Dodger Stadium)
Chavez Ravine 1950
Garfield and Slauson 1941 (look at all that open space!)
View from City Hall 1930
Bellevue Terrace Hotel 6th and Figueroa 1900
Santa Monica Beach 1900
Alameda Street Flood 1900
Glendale 1900
San Fernando Valley 1900
Pasadena 1900 (Look at those beautiful mountains, no smog!!) Los Angeles 1890
Los Angeles Before 1900
The Port of Los Angeles 1900
