What would make DC more appealing for young professionals?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What would make DC more appealing for young professionals?

DC is not a young person's city, certainly not in the way that other cities are.

Not much you can do to change that.

Why its not? Lots of young people dream of working and living on the Hill.

And lots of people do! Hundreds of group houses. The holdback seems to be jobs? For every recent grad or summer college student I know who ends up working on the hill, I know another one who never was able to secure a hill job

There are so many non-profit and advocacy jobs - more than anywhere else in the country. I find this whole thread to not reflect reality.

Awesome with an biglaw or engineer spouse or a trust fund, not too workable if you are trying to make a living

Actually quite workable for many young professionals with a particular interest in policy. Not just nonprofits and advocacy, but for-profit organizations too. My spouse moved here from the South for that reason. We hire them all the time.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think DC is pretty attractive to young professionals. However, one area where it is lacking is in the creative field. DC has a lot of interesting stuff, but much of it is more middle of the road or even stodgy. A little more edge culturally would probably be attractive to a lot of younger people--that is something that draws people to NYC and other cities.

Not picking on this poster in particular but for god's sake none of you all seem to know a thing about DC or people under 60.

I am under 60 and have lived in several cities that are generally viewed as attractive to young people, including the Bay Area, Austin and Berlin. I am also very familiar with other cities. Based on that experience, it is very clear to me that DC is not cutting edge culturally. Yes, it is better than when I moved here. No doubt about that. But there is a lot of room for improvement.

+1

Some people really believe that DC is the be all and end all for everyone - and who wouldn't want to live here?? Gasp!! LOL

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Affordable housing.
Affordable housing.
Affordable housing.
Affordable housing.
Affordable housing.

It's more affordable than NYC, which is a mecca for young professionals.

And San Francisco and LA. The new attractive cities like Nashville and Austin are cheaper, but those cities are attractive because they are cheap. Before them it was Denver and Portland after them it will be Boise? There are always cheap cities that become meccas, and stop being affordable. Meanwhile cities that have always been expensive remain meccas

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What would make DC more appealing for young professionals?

DC is not a young person's city, certainly not in the way that other cities are.

Not much you can do to change that.

Why its not? Lots of young people dream of working and living on the Hill.

And lots of people do! Hundreds of group houses. The holdback seems to be jobs? For every recent grad or summer college student I know who ends up working on the hill, I know another one who never was able to secure a hill job

There are so many non-profit and advocacy jobs - more than anywhere else in the country. I find this whole thread to not reflect reality.

Awesome with an biglaw or engineer spouse or a trust fund, not too workable if you are trying to make a living

Actually quite workable for many young professionals with a particular interest in policy. Not just nonprofits and advocacy, but for-profit organizations too. My spouse moved here from the South for that reason. We hire them all the time.

Usually people saying non-profits and advocacy as a plus don't view becoming a lobbyist for a trade group in the same light

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Affordable housing.
Affordable housing.
Affordable housing.
Affordable housing.
Affordable housing.

It's more affordable than NYC, which is a mecca for young professionals.

And San Francisco and LA. The new attractive cities like Nashville and Austin are cheaper, but those cities are attractive because they are cheap. Before them it was Denver and Portland after them it will be Boise? There are always cheap cities that become meccas, and stop being affordable. Meanwhile cities that have always been expensive remain meccas

I don't know much about Nashville but Austin is NOT cheap. It is insanely expensive.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think DC is pretty attractive to young professionals. However, one area where it is lacking is in the creative field. DC has a lot of interesting stuff, but much of it is more middle of the road or even stodgy. A little more edge culturally would probably be attractive to a lot of younger people--that is something that draws people to NYC and other cities.

Not picking on this poster in particular but for god's sake none of you all seem to know a thing about DC or people under 60.

I am under 60 and have lived in several cities that are generally viewed as attractive to young people, including the Bay Area, Austin and Berlin. I am also very familiar with other cities. Based on that experience, it is very clear to me that DC is not cutting edge culturally. Yes, it is better than when I moved here. No doubt about that. But there is a lot of room for improvement.

there are some people who are really into art and culture but also LOTS of 20-somethings who don't need some super diverse and amazing cultural scene...

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think DC is pretty attractive to young professionals. However, one area where it is lacking is in the creative field. DC has a lot of interesting stuff, but much of it is more middle of the road or even stodgy. A little more edge culturally would probably be attractive to a lot of younger people--that is something that draws people to NYC and other cities.

Not picking on this poster in particular but for god's sake none of you all seem to know a thing about DC or people under 60.

I am under 60 and have lived in several cities that are generally viewed as attractive to young people, including the Bay Area, Austin and Berlin. I am also very familiar with other cities. Based on that experience, it is very clear to me that DC is not cutting edge culturally. Yes, it is better than when I moved here. No doubt about that. But there is a lot of room for improvement.

+1

Some people really believe that DC is the be all and end all for everyone - and who wouldn't want to live here?? Gasp!! LOL

No, we just don't like bamas and get annoyed by transplants who haven't ventured beyond the Wharf yet feel they know enough about the DMV to opine about what the area needs.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think DC is pretty attractive to young professionals. However, one area where it is lacking is in the creative field. DC has a lot of interesting stuff, but much of it is more middle of the road or even stodgy. A little more edge culturally would probably be attractive to a lot of younger people--that is something that draws people to NYC and other cities.

Not picking on this poster in particular but for god's sake none of you all seem to know a thing about DC or people under 60.

I am under 60 and have lived in several cities that are generally viewed as attractive to young people, including the Bay Area, Austin and Berlin. I am also very familiar with other cities. Based on that experience, it is very clear to me that DC is not cutting edge culturally. Yes, it is better than when I moved here. No doubt about that. But there is a lot of room for improvement.

+1

Some people really believe that DC is the be all and end all for everyone - and who wouldn't want to live here?? Gasp!! LOL

No, we just don't like bamas and get annoyed by transplants who haven't ventured beyond the Wharf yet feel they know enough about the DMV to opine about what the area needs.

I am the one all of you have been responding to so I will weigh in. I have lived in DC for quite a while now, and if it makes you feel better, I have been to the Wharf exactly once. Why shouldn't I have an opinion? I have lived here a long time--longer than any other place I have lived in my life--and yet I also have direct experience with other cities, so I have the ability to make a comparison. Seems like a valid perspective.

Don't get me wrong. I actually like DC, and personally, I had enough of the creative types in other cities by the time I came here. But the question was basically what is lacking in DC that might make it more interesting to young professionals. I still think the response to that question would be a stronger creative community. At this point, I have kids so it doesn't really matter to me, but that it is very plain that DC is lacking in that area.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think DC is pretty attractive to young professionals. However, one area where it is lacking is in the creative field. DC has a lot of interesting stuff, but much of it is more middle of the road or even stodgy. A little more edge culturally would probably be attractive to a lot of younger people--that is something that draws people to NYC and other cities.

Not picking on this poster in particular but for god's sake none of you all seem to know a thing about DC or people under 60.

I am under 60 and have lived in several cities that are generally viewed as attractive to young people, including the Bay Area, Austin and Berlin. I am also very familiar with other cities. Based on that experience, it is very clear to me that DC is not cutting edge culturally. Yes, it is better than when I moved here. No doubt about that. But there is a lot of room for improvement.

+1

Some people really believe that DC is the be all and end all for everyone - and who wouldn't want to live here?? Gasp!! LOL

No, we just don't like bamas and get annoyed by transplants who haven't ventured beyond the Wharf yet feel they know enough about the DMV to opine about what the area needs.

I am the one all of you have been responding to so I will weigh in. I have lived in DC for quite a while now, and if it makes you feel better, I have been to the Wharf exactly once. Why shouldn't I have an opinion? I have lived here a long time--longer than any other place I have lived in my life--and yet I also have direct experience with other cities, so I have the ability to make a comparison. Seems like a valid perspective.

Don't get me wrong. I actually like DC, and personally, I had enough of the creative types in other cities by the time I came here. But the question was basically what is lacking in DC that might make it more interesting to young professionals. I still think the response to that question would be a stronger creative community. At this point, I have kids so it doesn't really matter to me, but that it is very plain that DC is lacking in that area.

The problem is that that question: what would make DC more interesting to young professionals is fundamentally flawed. DC is already, and has been since the 90's, one of the most popular places for young professionals in the country. It doesn't need to do anything extra to attract them. For a city the size of DC (700,000) it's art, music and food scene is top notch. And yes, I too have lived in many global hot spots (London, Mumbai, Cape Town). Young policy and international focused professionals will always flock to DC. But they're nerds. That's ok, we're all nerds as well. It's that mish mash of being able to talk about Ukraine policy while eating Ethiopian food and watching an Iranian protest in the shadow of the White House that attracts them. The DC scene from the 90's was one of the prime spawns of hipsters. The influence of native DC culture (gogo, hardcore, and tagging to name three) has had an outsized influence on what is thought to be "cool" disco dan.

But to be honest, culturally DC has gone downhill over the past decade. That is true. But that is just a normal cycle and has more to do with end group millennials being more boring than the three cohorts before them. The key to DC culture is not the transplants that come in. It's the children of the ones that stay.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Increasing residential density in the vast swaths of DC dominated by huge and empty office buildings. converting some of these medium height offfice buildings into residential would also force creation of more street level life in form of 1st floor restaurants, gyms, stores, medical offices, etc, to serve the increase in residential populaiton. Let's be honest, people aren't coming back full time to offices to create critical mass of people hanging out downtown on workdays supporting a bunch of local businesses. It's what perpetuates this feel of abandonment, empty storefronts, areas that have nice infrastructure and architecture and connectivity but are devoid of life. It's happening in other cities as well. DC has a nice city grid and can create really thriving urban culture. And DC is really compact, you don't even need to use metro to get from one place to another, you can walk or bike or scooter.

Ironically, the political energy is to try and force higher density into residential neighborhoods. Which will leave downtown barren and cause many families to flee.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think DC is pretty attractive to young professionals. However, one area where it is lacking is in the creative field. DC has a lot of interesting stuff, but much of it is more middle of the road or even stodgy. A little more edge culturally would probably be attractive to a lot of younger people--that is something that draws people to NYC and other cities.

Not picking on this poster in particular but for god's sake none of you all seem to know a thing about DC or people under 60.

I am under 60 and have lived in several cities that are generally viewed as attractive to young people, including the Bay Area, Austin and Berlin. I am also very familiar with other cities. Based on that experience, it is very clear to me that DC is not cutting edge culturally. Yes, it is better than when I moved here. No doubt about that. But there is a lot of room for improvement.

No, no, no. You are a Boomer that doesn’t know what you’re talking about. DC is a vibrant and cutting edge that’s an amazing place for arts. So many venues for bands and new music. So many studios and small theatre productions. The only way you can miss it is if you are a Boomer.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Increasing residential density in the vast swaths of DC dominated by huge and empty office buildings. converting some of these medium height offfice buildings into residential would also force creation of more street level life in form of 1st floor restaurants, gyms, stores, medical offices, etc, to serve the increase in residential populaiton. Let's be honest, people aren't coming back full time to offices to create critical mass of people hanging out downtown on workdays supporting a bunch of local businesses. It's what perpetuates this feel of abandonment, empty storefronts, areas that have nice infrastructure and architecture and connectivity but are devoid of life. It's happening in other cities as well. DC has a nice city grid and can create really thriving urban culture. And DC is really compact, you don't even need to use metro to get from one place to another, you can walk or bike or scooter.

Ironically, the political energy is to try and force higher density into residential neighborhoods. Which will leave downtown barren and cause many families to flee.

Exactly. The donut hole city does not seem like a victory for urban planning.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think DC is pretty attractive to young professionals. However, one area where it is lacking is in the creative field. DC has a lot of interesting stuff, but much of it is more middle of the road or even stodgy. A little more edge culturally would probably be attractive to a lot of younger people--that is something that draws people to NYC and other cities.

Not picking on this poster in particular but for god's sake none of you all seem to know a thing about DC or people under 60.

I am under 60 and have lived in several cities that are generally viewed as attractive to young people, including the Bay Area, Austin and Berlin. I am also very familiar with other cities. Based on that experience, it is very clear to me that DC is not cutting edge culturally. Yes, it is better than when I moved here. No doubt about that. But there is a lot of room for improvement.

No, no, no. You are a Boomer that doesn’t know what you’re talking about. DC is a vibrant and cutting edge that’s an amazing place for arts. So many venues for bands and new music. So many studios and small theatre productions. The only way you can miss it is if you are a Boomer.

I am not a Boomer, and this is just not true. I agree with the person above who noted that past iterations of DC have had important cultural impacts. Dischord Records and associated acts really did have reach. GoGo is fine, though I think it is overrated. More interesting is that Gil Scott Heron lived here, and Roberta Flack got her start on the Hill. Marvin Gaye was born in SW DC. DC also had many other notable musical acts associated with it. All of that is great, but in my view, there is nothing similar happening at the moment.

[Anonymous]

Lower rents, obviously. Most young professionals can't afford the astronomical cost of living in DC - even in group homes.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Lower rents, obviously. Most young professionals can't afford the astronomical cost of living in DC - even in group homes.

Which is why they flock to NYC .