Why do young professionals leave areas (cities) for other areas?

Question

Migritory patterns of business people and is there a relationship with progressive thinking cities.
Bottom line: What is the rational for cities increasing or decreasing population.

Answer 1

Many young people believe the grass is always greener elsewhere. Also, salaries may be higher (but so is cost of living sometimes) and there may be more positions at a new locale versus the home territory.

Answer 2

I think I understand your question. Interesting thing is that we are having this discussion (not necessarily from an economic point of view) here in the Twin Cities.

On the radio this morning, a talk show host was discussing the 3rd major violent act on the city bus system since March 2007. A city councilwoman called and said "we're all to blame". The host said, "The city will just degenerate because people don't want to live around this type of stuff...and the honest, hardworking people will leave and all the lazy, good for nothing criminals will remain...then you won't have your tax base with which to fix stuff if you (meaning the mayor and council) don't remove their blinders".

Then the conversation also added that the 17 year old male who died (gunned down in a bus at about midnight) was also a father (at 15) and may have been a member of a gang. It was mentioned "and this is why things are getting bad".

So why do professionals leave cities or areas?
- Crime
- Gangs
- Violence (risk)
- Want a nice place to raise a young family
- Usually school systems are better outside of cities
- Less cost the further away you live.

Answer 3

After a while old developed areas become more costly and competitive for businesses and the growth slows down while new cities develop fast with businesses in search for increasing their top and bottom lines and new businesses develop. The opportunities are available in newer/ emerging growth cities. Naturally more young people flock to those areas where the opportunities and potential for future are greater or appear to be greater.

Answer 4

There are some good answers here, but they may be a little outdated. The newest economic theories have to do with the rise of the Creative Class. I'll link to some good sources.

Basically 1/3 of the economy today is composed of creatives: profesionals, engineers, lawyers, musicians, artists, designers, programmers, entrepreneurs, performers, researchers, etc. In the Industrial age, jobs were located around rail access, large manufacturing facilities, and natural resources. Creative jobs are free to set up anywhere they like, especially since most of them involve no heavier equipment than a computer. But, creatives locate in places where other creatives are to give themselves choice in jobs and access to new ideas.

Where do creatives locate? In cool cities. Places with good music scenes, good transit, clean parks, safe neighbourhoods, places where you can walk to work and live downtown where all the good nightlife is. It may sound kind of simplistic or silly, but it's the new reality. Check the sources, they are some good reading.

Answer 5

A geographical areas inability to keep their talent is a sociological term called braindrain. They leave for economic reasons, better education and opportunity for the children, less taxation, for example Canadians leaving for the US, and more freedoms and rights as with foreigners who stay in the US after getting education that mobilizes them and lets them fit right into a better class.