Why the Suburban Exodus Hasn't Happened Yet

Greg Hanscom at Grist asks, if, as polls say, so many Millennials want to live in the city, why is the downtown resurgence a trickle rather than a flood?

1 minute read

October 18, 2011, 5:00 AM PDT

By Tim Halbur

For one, says Hanscom, the economy killed their momentum. Millennials are waiting it out at home with their parents:

"There are other factors that have slowed down the great urban migration that predate our recent economic woes: Crime rates are down nationwide, but that has done little to diminish the perception that cities are dark, violent places. Poverty, addiction, and blight still haunt many urban centers. Then there are the kids. The Millenials aren't the first generation of young people to get all stoked about the city. The ones before them continue to pick up and leave as soon as Junior hits school age."

Hanscom has another quite unusual reason why he thinks Americans haven't moved to the city in droves. Read the article to find out.

FULL STORY: Stranded in suburbia: Why aren’t Americans moving to the city?

Monday, October 17, 2011 in Grist

Community / Economic Development United States Suburbs Millennials City Living

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