Leaving Their Parents Behind
Decatur Metro | May 10, 2010Highways, the GI bill, cheap gas, and inner-city racial tensions contributed to that sociological storm that made “white flight” the rhymey-rage 50 years ago. At least that’s what the history books tell me. According to those hard-backed tomes, a predominant number of Caucasians packed up their families and headed from the inner cities out into the promised tranquility of the suburbs, where car and manicured lawn were king.
Life was deafeningly tranquil, interspersed with moments of maddening gridlock. What more could middle-class America possibly want? Something completely different apparently.
If there can be any official judgment on a chosen way of life, it comes from the actions of the succeeding generation. Their parents may have chosen the ‘burbs for any number of reasons, but while gas is still cheap, mortgage rates are low, and the highways still promise 8 lanes of glorious freedom, many of ‘burb kids have had enough of mass-generated paradise. So it’s back to the city, leaving their parents behind. From the AP…
The suburbs now have the largest poor population in the country. They are home to the vast majority of baby boomers age 55 to 64, a fast-growing group that will strain social services after the first wave of boomers turns 65 next year.
Analysts attribute the racial shift to suburbs in many cases to substantial shares of minorities leaving cities, such as blacks from New Orleans in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina in 2005. Whites, too, are driving the trend by returning or staying put in larger cities.
The article, which is based on a recent Brookings Institution report, goes on to note that Atlanta and Washington D.C. lead the way in percentage gains among whites in their inner cities, up 5% from 2000 to 2008.
Whether it was the lack of community, the sameness, or just a rebellious streak, 20-somethings (UPDATE: and 30 & 40-somethings) are causing the old suburban stereotypes to fall hard. Will the inner city continue its reinvention or will the spawn of the current city-loving generation recall the old problems that caused the flight in the first place and head back to strip? Only time (and oil prices) will tell.
Latest from Decaturish
The trend has picked up the nick-name “bright flight” as a means of describing those returning to cities in search of knowledge-based jobs, more diverse cultural opportunities and more variety of experience — the general “creative class” demo chronicled by Richard Florida.
The winners — at least as it relates to attracting this group of people — will be those who can offer a genuine urban life with all the funkiness and convenience that suggests. I don’t think cities that have decimated their downtowns, failed to invest in sufficient transit or abandoned their intown neighborhoods will fare nearly so well.
What that means remains to be seen.
I wonder…did the “bright” also lead the flight to the suburbs?
So……. passing snide judgment on caucasians leaving the city 50 years ago is kewl fun and affords a chance for a self-congratulatory pat on the back for those that stuck around or bucked the trend.
Meanwhile, when people of color start to move to suburbs (per Brookings Institution report), it’s just demographics and people exercising free choice.
Got it.
The logic to your conclusions is a strained leap, but I love the sass.
I think peeps are turning to the cities cause you just can’t get decent falafels in the burbs.
Actually, if you click onto the link that opens a box that allows you to show the change in demographics population by age, you’ll see that the percentages reflecting change in relocation to metro areas for the 25 – 34 category are fairly even with those for the 35 – 44 category, with the 45 – 54 category slightly higher than both. So, I’m not sure where (at least on the link you provided) this report shows that “20-somethings” are the ones causing the “old stereotypes to fall hard”. Looks to me like it’s mostly the 30- & 40-somethings (which makes more sense, since they’re the ones with the most money to facilitate those moves)…
True. I guess the “20-somethings” comment was a bit too glib and inaccurate. But to my rambling point, many 30 and 40-somethings also grew up in the ‘burbs and thus also “left their parents behind.”
Looking at the Brookings report: Do I really live in the Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Marietta Metro Area? ASSMMA
Certainly there are lots of factors but I think simple economics drive these city/suburb migrations.
City residence offers more employment opportunities and less transportation costs.
When it was cheap to drive till you qualify and commute to the city, people decided to reside in their “country manor” and drive to work in airconditioned luxury. Now that gasoline and jobs are running short, the siren call of the city beckons.
I grew up in beautiful South Florida suburbs, what an isolated hellscape that was.
Ridge,
Lemme guess…Wellington? Coral Springs? Weston?
DTR you are good!
Pompano (Coral Springs used to be our scout campground, I’m that old!) then Deerfield then Wellington. Whenever they paved the road up to the driveway it was time to move. I thought Dad liked country living, but then I realized he just didn’t like people. Now he lives on a mountain in NC and boy is he pissed that they paved the road!
Palm Beach Gardens High class of ’84. I know the area well. My scout camp was in Jupiter/Tequesta.
Your dad sounds like my kinda guy.
additional economic factor– I would think there are way more two parent working families, and single parent families now, where a bigger house with a monster commute just isn’t worth the trade off of the time taken from family.
I also wonder how the growing demographic of those waiting much longer to get married and/or start families plays into it– more likely to live in the city at that period of singleness & dating, then get hooked on urban living and stay…
PLUS a big house is a LOT more work! Never understood the desire for more, more, more house because it means more, more, more clutter, cobwebs in those high ceilings, marks on walls to be cleaned, yard to be mowed etc. I think busy, engaged families realize that there’s more to life than keeping up the hardwood floors and granite countertops. Housecleaning and gardening are a pasttime for some and one more chore for others. I’d rather be with the children, walking into town, hanging out at the schools, or reading a good book (not to mention the slothful things like hanging out at a pool or sleeping in late) than keeping up a huge house. Huge houses and renovations are only luxurious for so long if there’s dirty fingers and smelly sneakers in the house…
emphasis on chores may be another generational thing– my dad loves to have house projects and has a very hard time sitting still/reading/hangin’ somewhere like the pool or downtown for too long. Many friends and neighbors have reported the same for their parents. I have no such problem with leisure activities! and yes, a smaller house helps me do that (and ignoring some of the cobwebs).