Reinventing Chicago

[scandal 951]

I think there are two factors which have separated Chicago from its regional competitors (Milwaukee, Detroit, Indianapolis, St. Louis, etc.)

1. O'Hare airport, and the national air transportation hub it represents. No other city other than Dallas/Fort Worth really offers such a major mid-continent hub.

2. Leo Melamed. The pioneer who saw the future and essentially created the electronic trading markets. He built an industry which has made Chicago a global player among the ranks of New York, London and Tokyo as a first-string financial center. Without Leo, Chicago would not have made the transformation from Rust belt manufacturing to services as well as it has.

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/opinion...,0,408152.story

Miracle on ice?

Chicago may lose again once the census numbers are in, but credit the city for reinventing itself for not losing even more.

By Allen R. Sanderson

February 26, 2010

When the 2010 census tallies are complete, they will likely reveal that Chicago has lost population again, as it has in every census since 1950. (If not, then credit for the gain — or stability — will be due to the influx of Hispanic immigrants.)

What is remarkable is that Chicago hasn't lost even more population. In part, it's a testament to our attracting and retaining hardy souls. But more likely, credit should be given to the reinvention and transformation of Chicago from an industrial center and shipping point to a financial mecca with a heavy influx of diversified businesses. Those changes kept Chicago from going the way of our regional neighbors, such as Cleveland, Cincinnati, Pittsburgh, Detroit and St. Louis.

In manufacturing and farming eras, location mattered. The Great Lakes region flourished with the iron and steel industries; and Midwest agricultural output headed east via Chicago.

But in a high-tech world, Microsoft, Intel, Apple, Google and Yahoo can choose to locate virtually anywhere, and they have chosen metropolitan areas in Washington, Oregon and California. Mark Twain's famous line notwithstanding, in a service economy people can actually do something about the weather: They can move!

Rather than suffering the costs of atrocious weather half the year, Americans have demonstrated convincingly over time that they would rather switch than fight.

Baltimore was the nation's second largest city in 1830; it left the top 10 in 1980. Buffalo, N.Y., and Cincinnati exited the top 10 list 100 years ago. Pittsburgh left the list in 1940, Boston in 1960 and Cleveland after 1970. Detroit will no longer be in the top 10 in 2010.

These Rust Belt cities were replaced by Los Angeles, Houston, Phoenix, Dallas, San Antonio, San Diego and San Jose, Calif. There is a clear pattern here: In the space of 100 years, seven of the country's 10 largest cities were replaced by Sun Belt municipalities. And it's projected that more than half of our approximately 3,100 counties will continue to show population losses in 2010, just as they have for the past two censuses.

Why these changes? In large part it has to do with economics.

In addition to our manufacturing-to-service transformation, shorter workweeks mean more discretionary time. The value of those hours is greater in a more hospitable climate. Lounging around the pool is simply more enjoyable than searching for earmuffs. Furthermore, cities from Tampa to San Diego have more daylight hours — and fewer gray skies — than the Boston to Chicago corridor.

As our population turns grayer, that also means "snowbirds" will likely become "sunbirds." They'll also be avoiding sizable tax bites, which, in addition to weather, make North Carolina, Florida, Texas and Arizona attractive destinations. Horace Greeley's advice to young men (and women) — "Go West …" — apparently holds true for old fogies as well.

By dumb luck and/or skillful planning, Chicago has been successful in bucking these general trends. Residents — and businesses — could certainly choose to locate where you don't have to wait until the Memorial Day weekend to put in bedding plants or take off the fleece to watch mediocre baseball. Chicago's environmental and cultural amenities continue to hold and unify us.

But the economic climate could worsen considerably in the city and state as lawmakers wrestle with budgetary exigencies. And it may well be the political winds, not nature's gusts, that cause firms and families to don Horace Greeley T-shirts and look at Chicago's skyline in the rearview mirror on their way west and south.

[w¡n9Nµ7 §£@¥€r 123]

Just saying Chicago makes me feel cold and causes my testicles to retreat even further into me.

[Ali G. 37]

Any progress on corruption?

[scandal 951]

Just saying Chicago makes me feel cold and causes my testicles to retreat even further into me.

You should stay in Jersey. You guys have had far more snow that we did this winter. Stay away, we don't want you importing your weather into our balmy Lake Michigan shores.

[w¡n9Nµ7 §£@¥€r 123]

You should stay in Jersey. You guys have had far more snow that we did this winter. Stay away, we don't want you importing your weather into our balmy Lake Michigan shores.

balmy

[Y&E 12]

Just have to say - that compared to Indianapolis (where my future spouse currently resides) Chicago is da bomb. But, I still wouldn't want to live there, or anywhere in the Mid-West if I have any say in the matter.

[scandal 951]

In all seriousness, I thought this part of the article was really interesting. It's not really news. I remember when I lived in Silicon Valley during 1999-2004 that the SJ Mercury News used to have regular articles about the population shift, and the fact that San Jose was poised to overtake Detroit in the US top ten list. In some ways, it's amazing it's taken this long for Detroit to fall out of the list.

Baltimore was the nation's second largest city in 1830; it left the top 10 in 1980. Buffalo, N.Y., and Cincinnati exited the top 10 list 100 years ago. Pittsburgh left the list in 1940, Boston in 1960 and Cleveland after 1970. Detroit will no longer be in the top 10 in 2010.

These Rust Belt cities were replaced by Los Angeles, Houston, Phoenix, Dallas, San Antonio, San Diego and San Jose, Calif. There is a clear pattern here: In the space of 100 years, seven of the country's 10 largest cities were replaced by Sun Belt municipalities.

[spookyturtle 9,466]

In all seriousness, I thought this part of the article was really interesting. It's not really news. I remember when I lived in Silicon Valley during 1999-2004 that the SJ Mercury News used to have regular articles about the population shift, and the fact that San Jose was poised to overtake Detroit in the US top ten list. In some ways, it's amazing it's taken this long for Detroit to fall out of the list.

Simple, people like living in warm places.

[scandal 951]

Simple, people like living in warm places.

How ya doing up there in Boston?

[scandal 951]

How ya doing up there in Boston?

Chicago, Ill. 2,836,658 (2007 population estimate)

Boston, Mass. 599,351 (2007 population estimate)

Chicago beats Boston. Hands down.