Damn you, Toledo, why must you torment us with your cosmopolitan ways?
Larry P. Vellequette of The Toledo Blade reports:
Metro Toledo ranked third from the bottom, ahead of only Detroit and Flint, in an annual survey that measures the economic vitality of the nation's 200 largest cities.
No metropolitan area in Ohio or Michigan scored among the top 100 in the annual Milken Institute's list of Best Performing Cities, but some grabbed spots among the bottom 20. Toledo's 198th rank was worse than its prior year's finish of 194th.
Typo in the headline, Gordo.
ReplyDeleteAnd re the previous -- Gerry's video ran just fine for me when last weekend but Carriage Town died yesterday with about fifteen seconds left.
Oops, I really need a copy editor.
ReplyDeleteAnd I think the final 15 seconds are just the still frame of the factory with the background sound playing over it. That's just me being overly arty.
It's not all fun and games for Flint expats. While agree that Flint doesn't have a discernable future, and it's a bad idea to move there now (certainly), this economy is suffering everywhere.
ReplyDeleteA friend of mine moved to where you live, San Fran from Flint. He had been talking about it for years, his California dream. It's a year later, and he has had a string of shitty roommates (you have to have a roommate in lots of cities, because rent is too high), all that have ripped him off.
As I type this, he is living on the street. He has two jobs and is homeless. Yeah, living in Flint sucks, but there are advantages.
And it's not just the rent, which is bad enough, but all the other expenses. Restaurants, if you can afford them. The standard $4-5 for a beer in a bar. The fact that the city runs on revenue from parking tickets, so you're bound to get them if you drive. And there's the $5 fee to cross the bridge, etc. etc. etc.
ReplyDeleteSorry to hear about your friend's situation. The group house experience can be horrible. If it's any consolation, rents are allegedly dropping because so many people are leaving the city and the area due to job loss. Silicon Valley has the highest unemployment rate since 1949.
Yes, without a roomate in SF or NYC, you're bound to live off of a VISA to get by...
ReplyDeleteMy daughter can't leave Frisco because she is too deeply in love with...the city. She went through the deep debt thing there, but her apartment sharers while attending college and after was all positive. The masters program is on hold until she saves enough to continue. Fiscal responsibility has now become a way of life and a decent job also helps. She has lots of good friends there, which is an important factor. We don't think she will return to the woods, even though she always hates to return after her visits.She also loves where she was raised. Costs in SF are beyond my comprehension. unclebuck
ReplyDeleteEnough of this San Fran talk. Jamie Farr RULES!!! The dude lives, eats, and breathes Toledo. His endless pimpin' of the Mud Hens and Tony Packo's is legendary. Anyone who insists on representing his cruddy Rustbelt hometown with as much vigor as Jamie is a hero.
ReplyDeleteALL HAIL JAMIE FARR!!!!
Is Jamie the Michael Moore of Toledo? Is Toledo the Flint of Ohio, or would that be Youngstown? That Mud Hens jersey is great.
ReplyDeleteWWurst...Your right. It's all about Klinger. I really respect Jamie for his faith to his home town. Toledo used to be a great place to visit when I was a teen and I did see the Mud Hens play. Sometimes I digress when on this blog, but it's so easy to get off on a tangent. Sorry, SF is not in Ohio....unclebuck
ReplyDeleteI'm watching an old MASH episode as I write this - Klinger's voice dubbed into German is JUST NOT THE SAME ... but the Toledo plugs come through loud and clear!
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