Young, educated people flocking to downtowns across US
A USA Today article from this week shows that young people with college degrees are making a big shift to the walkable “downtown” areas in big cities across the US. According to analysis of census data, even as some cities are losing overall population, their downtowns are making gains with the young and educated:
Urban centers draw more young, educated adults
Even in Detroit, where the population shrank by 25% since 2000, downtown added 2,000 young and educated residents during that time, up 59%, according to analysis of Census data by Impresa Inc., an economic consulting firm.
“Clearly, the next generation of Americans is looking for different kinds of lifestyles — walkable, art, culture, entertainment.” (Carol Coletta, head of CEOs for Cities)
Atlanta is among the cities making big gains. In the last ten years, Atlanta saw a 61% increase in 25- to 34-year-olds who have a four-year degree or higher and live within 3 miles of the city’s central business district.
