Hometown Glory
Census: Houston getting smarter, more attractive (to grads)
More news the economic downturn will change every facet of our lives: Census data on U.S. migration between 2006–2008 shows people with advanced college degrees are forgoing former industrial cities like Detroit as well as areas hit hard by the housing bust like Florida and Atlanta, according to the Associated Press. Where are they heading instead? Urban centers with a focus on high-tech industries, like... this one, thanks to NASA, the biggest medical center in the country, and of course, black gold."
During this economic downturn, young, educated professionals are heading for the high-tech "cool" metros rather than the fast growing upstarts of the mid-decade," said William Frey, a demographer at Brookings Institution, who analyzed the data. "The investment in knowledge industries and young professional amenities in places like Austin, Raleigh and Seattle is now paying off."
Houston, along with Austin, Raleigh, Portland, and Charlotte saw huge gains in residents with at least a college degree, though Houston also had an influx of residents with only a high-school diploma. And even though there was no correlation nationwide between cities with higher levels of education and cities with high earnings, Houston also made the top five cities with gains in residents making $65,000 or more.
Statistics to remember the next time your friend from Boston wants to give you a hard time.
