Developers and head hunters have pursued “yuspies” – young, urban, single professionals – for more than a decade as the “dream demographic,” to help communities and companies achieve the top economic tiers.
Baltimore, Cincinnati, Cleveland, Detroit, Memphis, and Newark are some of the cities to have tried wooing the hip generation, yet have not fully blossomed in terms of economic and demographic growth. Rather, data shows the strongest job growth consistently has been in cities, such as Charlotte, Dallas, Houston, and Raleigh-Durham, which are favored by young, educated families, ranging from their mid-20s to mid-40s.
Traditional urban favorites for young singles include Boston, Chicago, Los Angeles, New York, and San Francisco, but in order to attract young married couples with children, affordable housing and family-friendly communities within a short commute to work are bigger draws than trendy nightclubs and a fast-paced social scene. Translation: Young singles tend to flee those bright city lights when they marry and start families.
(from Opinion Journal 11/27/07)
