Author and Creative Class Guru Richard Florida recently penned an article for The Atlantic that provides a national update on the much-discussed “brain drain” issue, where the young and the talented are migrating to specific regions for specific reasons. This new update from 2005 to 2009 is interesting as it showcases a changing trend. The recession has lowered overall migration, and in some instances we’re seeing slowed migration in sunbelt cities and improved migration in rustbelt cities.
Columbus is pointed out in this article as an example of a city that managed to change from a migration loss (-0.23) to a migration gain (+0.16). A very small improvement, but an improvement nonetheless.
Florida goes on to say that these changes could be due to “attract and retain” initiatives, similar to what the Columbus Chamber has implemented over the past few years.
What do you think has caused this change in Columbus? Shifting demographics? A culture or perception change about Columbus? The recession?