Jeffery

Whats suprising is how dense Lakewood is vs some of the other areas in Cleveland (and in other Ohio cities). OSU and vicinity stands out for Columbus.

No Dayton map.

^ I think the 1870s recession saw a hiatus in house construction, too, based on some informal research I've done using old insurance maps of Louisville (though its not a good idea to generalize from one city). @@@@ Back to our modern recession, here is an excerpt from Brookings' Metro Monitor report on the "Great Lakes" area: Comparing Great Lakes metros’ low point for employment with their current job numbers shows just how far they have to go in making a full recovery from the Great Recession. Most Great Lakes metros, like the nation as a whole, hit their employment trough in the first quarter of 2010. Since that low point, eight Great Lakes metropolitan areas—Cleveland, Des Moines, Grand Rapids, Indianapolis, Louisville, Madison, Pittsburgh, and Syracuse—have recovered a greater share of jobs lost during the recession than the nation as a whole. Meanwhile, Chicago, Dayton, Detroit, and Milwaukee have recovered less than 2 percent of the jobs that they lost during the recession. Detroit lost more than 350,000 jobs between its peak at the end of 2004 and its trough early this year, and had regained less than 700 by the end of the second quarter. ...so we see, in Ohio, a range of performance in terms of employment, with Dayton still in the doldrums. However, Cleveland is looking good. As is Youngstown, in manufacturing (maybe this is that Marecellus Shale thing KJP posts about, and that Jim Russell also discusses... Manufacturing drove some of the job gains in Great Lakes metropolitan areas in the second quarter. Of the 21 largest Great Lakes metropolitan areas, 18 added manufacturing jobs between the first and second quarters of this year, with Youngstown’s manufacturing employment leaping by 8.9 percent, the biggest gain in the nation. In fact, of the 10 large U.S. metropolitan areas with the highest percentage gains in manufacturing jobs from the first to second quarters of this year, six are in the Great Lakes. Nationally, the manufacturing sector has been gaining jobs since January, and has been considered a bright spot in the Great Recession. But this did not translate into job gains in most Great Lakes metropolitan areas until recently: Less than half of the large Great Lakes metropolitan areas (9 out of 21) added manufacturing jobs in the first quarter of the year, and during the last half of 2009, small losses in manufacturing jobs were the rule in the region’s large metros. While these recent job gains are welcome, they do not signal a turnaround for manufacturing in the region. Manufacturing output in the region’s 21 largest metros, for example, was 9.2 percent lower in the last quarter than it was at the end of 2007.

More positive buzz on Buffalo What could possibly make someone want to leave New York and move to Buffalo? Buffalo is a frontier. And when you think of the actual frontier, you’ll recall that no one ever packed up and moved West to a gold-rush town because they heard it had really good local theater. They moved looking for opportunities. They moved for the chance to build a new life for themselves..... .....what a city like Buffalo offers is a very different promise of what could be. It offers the chance to live on the cheap and start a nonprofit organization, or rent an abandoned church for $1,000 a month, or finish your album without having to hold down two temp jobs at the same time, or simply have more space and a better view and enough money left over each month to buy yourself a painting once in awhile. A city like Buffalo reminds you that, beyond New York, there are still frontiers.

Agree with Rob. This place looks to be in good condition and still somewhat occupied (storefronts).

Railroad Earth. ...and I'm flying up to Boston in October to see them on a double bill with Donna the Buffalo.

The Fed study that I linked to has a few more charts and a lot of discussion of flows into-and out-of unemployment. But it is only looking at the unemployment rate.... ...near the end of the study is this passage: There are other reasons to believe that unemployment rates may stay well above the long-term rate for an extended period of time. Because of the length of the recession, there is a considerable number of potential workers who are not formally in the labor force. We have seen one of the sharpest drops in the labor force participation rate in the postwar data, as many unemployed workers simply stopped looking for a job. If some of these discouraged workers decide to search for a job as aggregate economic activity picks up, unemployment might decline at an even slower rate because the pool of unemployed workers is being replenished with workers re-entering the labor force. ...which is the number I've been looking at, the employment number, the ability of the economy to produce work. Maybe what's going on is that the rise in the dual income household over the past 30 years or so means that there is some built-in cushion to job loss if one household member loses his or her job. If they both lose jobs and unemployment runs out I guess that household is screwed. Also, to some degree, these extensions of uenemployment insurance are postponing the inevetible downward mobility for some percentage of the unemployed, which is what C-Dawg alluded to in his post about finding work at Taco Bell. It might be that it will take a three or four job household to achieve subsistence levels (for unskilled/less educated workers) vs the old two-job household that we've become accustomed to. @@@ Generally, the first leg down of a depression doesn't bring social unrest, but when hope appears and then seems to disappear is when the trouble starts. Coxey's Army, The Bonus Army, the big Champion spark plug riots were 3-5 years into the economic miasma and the worst violence actually came during WWII when folks started feeling like the Depression was behind them finally. I was thinking of the 19th century panics, before we had social insurance, but I guess Coxey's Army was from that era. If I recall right the big Pullman Strike was in the same era as Coxey's Army, and in the 1870s there was also a big railroad strike (vaguely recall something about this), and the rise of the Knights of Labor. Those were sort of industry specfic and not around generalized economic discontent, though, which is what that study was talking about.

Here's one article from the Cleveland Fed Unemployment a New Natural Rate? The past recession has hit the labor market especially hard, and economists are wondering whether some fundamentals of the market have changed because of that blow. Many are suggesting that the natural rate of long-term unemployment—the level of unemployment an economy can’t go below—has shifted permanently higher. We use a new measure that is based on the rates at which workers are finding and losing jobs and which provides a more accurate assessment of the natural rate. We find that the natural rate of unemployment has indeed shifted higher—but much less so than has been suggested. Surprising trends in both the job-finding and job-separation rates explain much about the current state of the unemployment rate.

The Cleveland Fed has some stuff online on this employment issue, pretty much confirming that foreign report (but withouth the histrionics on "social unrest", which I don't think is in the cards for the USA). Yet, this is becoming a big deal, a defining feature of this recession, even if its really just a magnification and intensification of a trend that started in 2001 or so (for Ohio, and certain parts of Ohio). Also, Brookings is tracking this via their Metro Monitor series. Seems like this is a very sticky number for certain places (Dayton and Toledo, for example).

Does anyone know of any good bookstores and coffee shops in Buffalo?

Thanks for the intel on stuff. I am finding interesting things about Buffalo online, too. Check out this article. Seems that Buffalo has some sort of fregan squatter scene going on! Tres Cool!

I don't think I'd count college towers. But yeah, I'm a sucker for the baby skycrapers of Ohio (and other places)..I just love these and how the represent the urban aspirations of these smaller cities...."if we have a downtown we have to have a skyscraper!"....and its really too bad about the losses in Mansfield, Newark, and esp Zanesville. Im thinking you could do something similar for Indiana. Oddly enough Muncie doesnt have any taller buildings from what I recall. But Fort Wayne, South Bend, Elkhart, Anderson, and Evansville do.

Thanks, I always wondered what this place looked like. It shows up juuuust on the edge of the DeLorme Ohio atlas....l

....Dan Clowes? No, his artwork is different. This is Love & Rockets, by Beto and Jaime Hernandez. Though I think some early Clowes stuff was in 1980s editions of their comic book, though. I didn't realize this or know this until recently but Jaime Hernandez was born in 1959, the same year I was (brother Beto was born in 1956 or 57), so his influences might have been what was out there back in the 1960s and 1970s, which would have included "Archie". L&R is sort of an updated Archie. L&R did catch a certain aspect of the California scene back in the 1980s, that chicano meets postpunk alternative culture thing. I was sort of the the fringes of that, via the gay scene. Interestingly the Hernadez's did some artwork for gay/les publications back them, like OutLook (a short-lived literary/cutlural mag) and did some cover art a few years back for an Indigo Girls CD. @@@@ In the 1970s, I used to like the Freak Brothers (are they still around?): ...and Fat Freddies Cat. Which makes me think of Bill the Cat in Bloom County (maybe a precursor). @@@@ In the 1960s (as a kid) I didn't read comic books much but was an avid follower of the strips. In Chicago we had four daily papers and they all had Sunday editions with color comics sections. So a lot of comics! My granfather would save them up and send them to me after I moved to Louisville (which had different comics) Comic books: I recall the Harvey Comics....Caspar and Ritchie Rich....and there was Mad Magazine (which was sort of subversive in its satrical/wise-guy way). For adventure comics I seem to recall something called "Sgt. Rock", sort of a war/heroic comic book.

Elmwood is a pretty long street (based on the map). Where on Elmwood is Elmwood Village?

Change in plans. Instead of doing Akron/Youngstown before my half-week in Cleveland I am going to Buffalo! (probably will return to NE Ohio in January or February or March for an extended weekend to dedicate to Akron/Youngstown). I will be staying at a Holiday Inn off Delaware Street just north of dowtown Buffalo near an area called "Allentown". So, anything cool to see in Buffalo (as in hipster/bohemian neighborhoods, ethnic stuff, good coffeeshops and bookstores, urban ag things, loft conversions, old industrial areas, etc etc etc ????...I think ive posted on here enough for y'all to know what I'm into....so if there is anyone here who is somewhat familiar with Buffalo.....could use some advice.

I like that bit of infill with the empty storefronts (not the empty storefronts, but the building). This could be a model for places like Dayton and Toledo, when we ever get around to building stuff downtown again

Maggy and Hopey (yes, I date myself with this choice...but it reminds me of my Califas days)

Some of you might remember Robert Reich. He wrote a popular book in 1991, "The Work of Nations", where he talked about employment and human capital, indentifying a group of worker called "symbolic analysts", sort of an earlier label for Richard Floridas' "Creative Class". Well he is still writing about economics and has some dire words on where we are headed: Face it: The national economy isn’t escaping the gravitational pull of the Great Recession. None of the standard booster rockets are working. Near-zero short-term interest rates from the Fed, almost record-low borrowing costs in the bond market, a giant stimulus package, along with tax credits for small businesses that hire the long-term unemployed have all failed to do enough. That’s because the real problem has to do with the structure of the economy, not the business cycle. No booster rocket can work unless consumers are able, at some point, to keep the economy moving on their own. But consumers no longer have the purchasing power to buy the goods and services they produce as workers; for some time now, their means haven’t kept up with what the growing economy could and should have been able to provide them. The Real Lesson of Labor Day ...sounds like a good explanation of housing deflation in places like Dayton, which saw the collapse of a industrial middle class over the past 20 years or so.

I thought you supported some sort of big transformative technology/infrastructure program?

..which makes one wonder why you;d need a transit system connecting these valley floor towns. The need is more along I-75 since thats where things are relocating to and developing at.

As I mentioned I am going to that Reclaiming Vacant Properties conference, being held at that Rennassiance Hotel at Terminal Tower. I will arrive on Tuesday, and be in the convention on Wed, Thur, & Fri, and remain in town on Saturday and depart Sunday. So I will have one weekend and a bunch of weekday evenings and afternoons to explore. Im thinking about what to do in the afternoon/evenings after my convention workshops and seminars are is over, downtown Cleveland and nearby. I do a lot of walking for fun and for fitness, usually 3 to 4 miles a day. I'd like to keep this up while in Cleveland. I was wondering how walkable it is across to Ohio City and Tremont. By the map I think I can walk across that Detroit/Superior bridge to Ohio City but was wondering if there are any things to do there...specifically a restaurant, coffee shop, etc. I know West Side Market is there but what else? Usually when i do these walks I stop off at a coffee shop for a latte or capuccion and then head back...or for lunch or dinner at a restaurant....so looking for something like this. I know I can take the Rapid to the station by West Side Market but am wondering how walkable it is to and through the Tremont area? Looking at the map it seems Abbey Avenue connects the station with Termont...actually right to that Sokolowski place. Is that do-able as a walk? Also, any good local/indy coffee shops downtown? I will be in Cleveland on Friday and Saturday nights, so would like some good venue recommendations for live music. As I mentioned in my Akron/Youngstown thread Im looking for a places that do acoustic/folk/singer songwriter stuff, and also original live indy/alternative rock (and would prefer a city location..not interested heading out to suburbia for this). This conference will be giving me a tour of the local urban ag scene the first day, so I should see plenty of that. But also a question. In terms of physical age, whats the oldest neighborhood in Cleveland (the "Oregon" or "German Village" type place..pre 1900 building/housing stock). I'm looking forward to returning to Cleveland. This will be my longest stay in the city, too. So should be interesting and informative.

Another good sign for me is that Youngstown has its own beer for chrissake! Rust Belt Beer. And they are moving into retail sales, too! That Youngstown can support something like this is pretty cool because attempts at this in Dayton (and there have been more than one) have all failed.

I mentioned elsewhere that I will be in Cleveland for three days for a conference, plus Tuesday night (checking in the hotel) and leaving Sunday morning. So I will have some dowtime on Friday and Saturday to venture beyond downtown. I'd was wondering for a good recommendation for eastern European, specfically Polish restaurants. I would like one in the "old neighborhod" as I like to support places like that (I guess old neighborhood means Slavic Village/Warzawa), but am Ok to travel out to suburbia if there are good ones there too. I'm looking for more restaurant and less bar-that-serves-food. Also, if y'all have other recommendations, like maybe Hungarian, Slovenian, etc etc...I might try that too.

I follow Jim Russells Pittsburgh Diaspora and he's linking to a buzz about Youngstown.. From the WOOF Factor Youngstown, Ohio, in the middle of the Rust Belt, is transforming itself into a technology hub, turning old factories into technology centers. Because the location of a software company isn’t relevant. With its lower cost of living and burgeoning cultural and social life, Youngstown’s transformation is part of a movement referred to as ‘Rust Belt Chic. ...and this very postivie & juicy multi-page (6 pages plus accompanying photo-essay with a pix of that Kidd guy) article from Inc: Semper Youngstown ..and excerpt, name-checking the Lemon Grove. Today, Clark works in a home office replete with a curving black and crimson art deco bar, and he regards Youngstown as an adventure. "We're urban pioneers," he told me. "We're trying to bring a city back from the dead, and Youngstown needs so much." Clark writes a blog, Youngstown Renaissance, that advocates for a livable Youngstown. ("For God's sake," he writes, "no more surface parking lots.") As a member of the group Resettle Youngstown, he takes care of vacant houses, boarding up the windows and doors to keep vandals out, and every so often, at the Lemon Grove Cafe, he emcees Thinkers and Drinkers, a casual powwow that sees locals sipping pints as they hash over questions like, How can we get Youngstown State students more involved in the community? When I went one night, he began with caution. "Complaining is OK," he said, "but I don't want this to turn into a bitch session." The Lemon Grove is Youngstown's most progressive and outré venue, and among regulars.... At Thinkers and Drinkers, I met Howard Markert, 43, a small-scale green developer who had recently arrived, from the Bay Area, to convert apartments into eco-havens replete with nontoxic paint and energy-efficient furnaces... Deffo a visit to the Mahoning Valley when I'm up there next month. Youngstown actually sounds more exciting than Dayton (in terms of people doing stuff and moving the dot...)