(2018-05-01) The New Magnetism Of Midsize Cities

The new magnetism of mid-size cities (mid-size city). There are no studies yet measuring the movement by what some call “boomerangs,” those millennials moving back to their hometowns from larger cities, and much of the evidence is anecdotal at best.

But conversations with Bhatia and others, as well as some demographic data, suggests those moving home are part of a boom in the country’s second-tier cities.

Mid- or second-tier cities, loosely defined as those under a million people that aren’t regional powerhouses like Austin or Seattle, are increasingly seen as not just places to find a lower cost of living, easier commute, and closer connections with family, but also a more approachable, neighborhood-oriented version of the urban lifestyle that sent many to the larger cities in the first place.

many who have made the move say smaller cities now offer more viable career and entrepreneurial opportunities that may be increasingly difficult to realize in larger, more expensive metros.

Sarah, who currently isn’t working, is studying for her GMATs and plans to go to graduate school Too-atypical.

After a decade of investment in parks and greenspace, homegrown tech hubs, and downtown redevelopment, many small and mid-size metros are seeing more signs of life and increased migration

Cities such as Madison, Wisconsin, and Indianapolis, Indiana, have thrived due to the growing tech scenes, including headquarters for large companies such as Epic Systems and Salesforce, respectively, as well as investments in public infrastructure

Louisville has made similar strides in recent years, investing millions of dollars in an expansion of its Frederick Law Olmsted-designed park system, adding a new convention center and a pair of hotels to the recently coined NuLu neighborhood, and building new apartments downtown. I don't think this stuff really does much.

Part of the attraction is what sociologist Jill Harrison has called “place character.”

Moving to smaller cities offers a hands-on opportunity to take part in the renewal and regrowth of smaller downtowns and Main Streets, a new sense of dynamism The Atlantic’s James Fallows has called a “reinventing of America.” Fallows 2018

The challenge—creating a city that provides a diversity of jobs and an interesting place to live—requires working on many fronts, and there is no formula, according to Tom Murphy, a former mayor of Pittsburgh and a senior resident at the Urban Land Institute Pittsburgh forecasted to lose population?

Take Pittsburgh, where Murphy was mayor from 1994 to 2006

lost nearly 60 percent of its population between 1970 and 1990

It was a devastating loss, says Murphy, but in the past few decades, the city has turned the corner

Finding a larger community in a smaller city

The ability to afford a home has helped many who moved from superstar metros to so-called second-tier cities connect with their new communities

Today, St. Louis, and neighborhoods such as Tower Grove and Cherokee Street, are filled with locals who came back, or what he jokingly calls “carpetbaggers,” finding their own niche in town.