"They can't afford it...They can't afford it...."
"And their father's an Alcoholic..."
Posted on 01/28/2007 9:13:55 PM PST by MinorityRepublican
New England is losing young adults at an alarming rate, according to a recently published report from the University of New Hampshire's Carsey Institute.
The study found that each state in New England has experienced at least a 20 percent decline in its population of 25-34- year-olds between 1990 and 2004.
Massachusetts is at the low end of the spectrum and has lost 20 percent of its young adults. Rhode Island has lost the same proportion, while Vermont and New Hampshire have lost 27, Maine 29, and Connecticut 30 percent during the period.
"The decline of the young adult population in New England has significant implications for the future labor force, economy and character in the region," according to the study.
University of New Hampshire Professor Ross Gittell, who authored the report, said the region is becoming less attractive to young people, including those in the Greater Boston area.
"I think there's a lot of evidence that limited housing availability and affordability is a strong factor for why young college grads don't choose to remain here," Gittell told the Daily.
"Boston doesn't promote itself and market itself to young people as much as other areas," Gittell said.
These other areas, which include North Carolina and Colorado, have been able to attract young adults.
With bolstered social offerings, Colorado has experienced a 17 percent growth in its young adult population and North Carolina has seen a nine percent expansion.
To see similar improvement in New England, several overlooked New England cities "need to think of more cultural amenities, such as music and clubs, to make themselves more attractive," Gittel said.
A prevailing perception of New England's urban environment as being inhospitable to young people parallels a similar trend of Boston job markets appealing predominantly to "high end, accomplished professionals".....
(Excerpt) Read more at media.www.tuftsdaily.com ...
Manchester is almost unrecognizable.
Salaries are higher on the coasts, but no where near enough to compensate.
A good measure of affordability compares salaries and housing costs.
http://money.cnn.com/2006/11/20/real_estate/Indianapolis_most_affrodable/index.htm?postversion=2006112015
I bet lots of active duty military from MA have moved their residence to income tax free states like FL or TX. I bet their tax savings are much greater than those lump sums.
You may be right . . . my only source is callers to the Howie Carr Show who (claim to) live in New Hampshire and don't want anyone else from MA to move there! ;-)
I'm not sure what NH you're talking about. The state I live in has two lefty representatives, a lefty governor, a lefty state legislator and went for Kerry in the last election and barely went for Bush in 2000. Kiss the NH advantage goodbye in a few years because the education system is in trouble too and they'll need to fund it somehow.
NE is hopelessly leftist and will move further left as the population shift continues.
So what? New York is not New England. Culturally, ethnically, historically . . . not even close. Where the Yankee/Red Sox line goes through Connecticut---that's New England's southern border.
The proposed $10K loan might pay for a year's property taxes in the overpriced real estate markets in that state.
Whatever you New Englanders do, don't move to Texas. It's awful here. You will hate it.
ping
It just might mean the same reason I escaped from NY in '76...TAXES AND SOCIAL FREEDOM.
Sadly, though, too much power is still concentrated in California. If we could get people to move out of there into other states, like Utah, . . .
bttt
Yeah, I can't see it making the difference between loan disapproval and loan approval.
I interviewed for a job in the Boston area some years ago (not an entry level job either). What got me was the cost of the housing itself before any taxes were paid. A former coworker of mine got me the interview. The next day we did tourist stuff instead of looking at houses. It was his way of telling me I didn't get the job.
Apartments were very expensive....$1000 per month or more. There were a handful of houses under $150K....I asked if they were junk. He said not necessarily, they might just be in crummy school districts. I was thankful for the crummy school districts, otherwise no one could afford to relocate there.
Yeah, yeah, yeah... welcome to the party, chief! What took you so long to get here!? ;-)
Why would anyone want to raise a child in Massachusettes?
It seems the article is not telling the whole story, not even 1/2 the story.
Boston has a nightmarish school system.
The boston globe is wrtiting articles about the glory of childless "unmarried" single person appartments. (for those in rio linda, that appartments for homosexuals)
Lets go onto oppressive taxation, zero homestead protection.
INSANE home owner associations in all new home developments.
I think the left is REJOICING in families leaving. It promotes their bunker mentality.
Perhaps, but it's really a moot point, because like another poster wrote, not many 22-year-olds are going to plunk down any amount of money on a Boston condo (around $300-$400K) or a suburban home ($350K-$450K) anyways. Just like most everything that emanates from Beacon Hill, it's a feel-good thing that's designed to sound good in a sound bite.
I saw the television version of this story on the news (Fox 25) last night . . . some PR firm must be making the rounds. But the story misses the point entirely: okay, demographic data seems to indicate that people are leaving New England. So, what do the newsies do? Because the study came from some egghead at UNH, they go to colleges and ask 20-year-olds if they plan to stay in New England after graduating college.
But chances are that kid came from another state to attend college here; of course that kid is going to look homeward after graduation. It's simply the nature of the beast. For example, I went to college in Annapolis, and though I loved the area, I couldn't wait to leave it and return to Massachusetts. That's where "home" was. And so it comes to pass that the "news" thinks it has discovered this great demographic shift: college kids abandoning New England in droves, which is "accurate," but no great alarm, because it's been happening forever. What's the solution? More music clubs. In other words, a nice little tid-bit of a story for a Sunday night local news program.
I'd be more alarmed if locals in their late 20s/early 30s were leaving MA in droves. The #1 problem in this state is the availability of housing, and it takes the average young person many years of saving before he or she can afford the down payment on a house or a condo in a decent area in eastern Massachusetts. The #2 problem in this state is the weather. To counter the unbelievably depressing New England weather from late November to late March, you must become a serious alcoholic.
I'm raising a child in Massachusetts. This is where we are from; I wouldn't rather live anywhere else.
I don't know. At 25 I left NY and moved to NH where there are better jobs, no income or sales tax, no gun laws, friendly motorcycle laws, etc etc.
Well, sadly enough for me, I live next door in the state of confusion, New York. Illustrious home of the highest taxes in the nation.
Frankly, this place is a cesspool. There are so many layers of government that they will never be able to get taxes under control - too many voters at the feeding trough. The sad reality is that most people in upstate NY think they are moderates or "progressive" conservatives (I voted for Pataki!) but in truth they are liberals who aren't smart and/or honest enough to realize/admit they are liberals. I expect the rest of the New England states are similar. Chuck full of "moderates" and liberals who are so well educated that they can masterfully rationalize away the reasons why everyone is leaving.
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