One of the problems about living in the rust belt is that it seems like everyone leaves whether they want to or not, opting for either coast, Chicago, Columbus, wherever. Some see themselves as rats abandoning a sinking ship, others love this place but can’t find work.

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Cleveland Love

For real.

Just as Chicago collects people from Detroit, Minneapolis, and Columbus, I have found that Cleveland has no small number of people who grew up in Youngstown, Lima, and Wooster. From time to time, I find myself in smaller cities or reading blogs about them - Erie, Jamestown, Flint, etc. I start to wonder about these places as the people in Chicago wonder about Cleveland. How can they have an economic future? Who would move there? If I were a young, educated person, how could I justify staying there? Would I have returned to Flint if that’s where I grew up? If so, who would I work for? Who would my spouse work for? What if I had to change jobs mid career but there’s only one local employer in my field?
Even though Cleveland has a lot to offer, we are struggling with inadequate numbers to fill and hold desirable urban neighborhoods. There are places in Cleveland with dozens of rehabbed homes and new condos. Young professionals live in these and support local businesses and artists. But for every young professional household there are three or more rentals. The nice housing is mixed in with blight. The surplus space keeps rent low and intimidating characters outnumber friendly neighbors. I wish we had a few thousand more young professionals so we could make at least one neighborhood feel as safe as Lakeview or the West Loop in Chicago.
I see people making a valiant effort to save Jackson, MI, and Findlay, OH, and I feel like saying to them, “Let it go. We can’t save everything. Cleveland needs all the young talent we can get, and we’d love to have you as a neighbor here.” At the same time, I know exactly how it feels to hear that. The difference, if anything, is that Chicago doesn’t need any more young professionals. Cleveland needs more educated people to slow and reverse its decline. But Erie needs more educated people too. What should we do?

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The Stigma of the Small City [via]

I mean, that (racist/classist/pro-gentrification) bit about ‘intimidating characters’ aside, this is interesting. Also, I find the idea that all “young professionals” (aside: i hate the word professional as a descriptor like this because it is totally meaningless aside from being kind of a vague class indicator) own to be ridic.

…nobody cared when financial blood was running in the streets of Cleveland, but now that blood is running in Wall Street it’s a national crisis. The deal that stops the bleeding on Wall Street and gives the banks a new start must do the same for the streets of Cleveland, Detroit, Cincinnati and Chicago.

— What communities like Cleveland need in the bank bailout bill [via]