San Jose has passed Detroit as the U.S.'s 10th largest city, part of a continuing population shift south and west.
Our family moved from Chicago to Seattle 11 years ago, and despite Seattle's somewhat goofy politics, it was the smartest thing we ever did. Better air quality, less traffic (I know, that's getting worse here), and natural surroundings that are out of this world, like Mount Adams, in southern Washington.
Overall, a less frenetic pace, and more humanity, even if natives are exceedingly well-mannered but somewhat icy. That last part hasn't been a problem because a lot of our friends here are like us: from somewhere else.
I was born in Connecticut, lived in New Hampshire (ages ago...OK, in the early 60s, as a little kid, and it was beautiful), went to school near Boston, lived in Cambridge and then for a short time before I recovered my sanity, Washington D.C. I love NYC, and the southeast U.S. coast, especially off-the-beaten-track spots that I'll save for another day.
But I've long felt the eastern seaboard, and the NE U.S. is just too damn used up, crowded and grittty. I'm a tie-dyed-in-the-wool Pacific Northwesterner now.
The trick, in and around places like Seattle and Portland, will be facilitating future population growth. People are coming whether we like it or not. They're going to need housing, transportation and water, and they are most assuredly not all going to be buying $350,000 in-city starter homes.
Why are they coming? Because Jim Morrison was right.
The West Is The Best. From The Doors, "The End:"
The west is the bestGet here and we'll do the rest
The blue bus is calling us
The blue bus is calling us
Driver, where you taking us?
Driver, where ARE you taking us? Will continuing growth in Central Puget Sound spell......the end? I don't think so. We have to be careful, but there are plenty of good folks who will make sure that happens.
Posted by Matt Rosenberg at July 1, 2005 02:33 PM