"Michigan is becoming the nation's ex," writes former Concentrate Media Gen Y blogger Katie Rose in a kerchief waving, not-so-tearful farewell/kiss-off to Ann Arbor. Off to a better job in California, Rose pens a blog entry in which she struggles to deal with her own decision to relocate from Google in Ann Arbor to a job at YouTube. Why she struggles with the decision would be a better blog entry, but nonetheless Ms. Rose struggles mightily and Concentrate Media, ever open to punctiliously promulgating blog angst from the Gen Y folks who allegedly trawl the site, duly posts the woman's "gut wrenching" decision.
Katie Rose spent her previous blog posts at Concentrate Media lecturing to the ether about exactly what Ann Arbor needed to do to make her life more scintillating, make her housing options more affordable and, generally, make her want to live in Ann Arbor.
Rose writes in her post-collegiate confessional, "But first, a gut-wrenching confession of epic proportions: I have left Michigan. As winter turned to spring this year, I was offered a PR job at YouTube in California, and the inner conflict began. When you publicly announce your loyalty to the state — and subsequently abandon those principles for a bigger career opportunity — it's time to face the music."
In 1851, Giuseppi Verdi came up with the perfect phrase to describe the situation. One need only purchase a ticket to Rigoletto, and you'll hear it sung by the cynical Duke of Mantua: "La donna è mobile. Qual piuma al vento. Muta d'accento — e di pensiero." For those who were dozing during Rigoletto when the subtitles were scrolling, here's a translation: "This woman is flighty. Like a feather in the wind. She changes her voice — and her mind." Click here to hear a 1908 recording of Enrico Caruso singing the "La Donna e' mobile."
Katie Rose is fickle. She's young and fickle. She's young, fickle, and left an electronic record of a promise. Rose writes, "In the transition, however, there was a lot of reflection…so back to why I think Michigan has become the nation's ex. I don't need convincing that this is a great place to have a life, but as I've seen more and more friends depart the state, it's becoming apparent that there are people who do. But it's not always the right fit, and sometimes the romance fizzles."
Yes, sometimes the romance fizzles. Sometimes people realize that having an inexperienced, needy lover who is forever nitpicking isn't a Love Boat cruise, but rather a romantic nightmare. In such cases it's entirely appropriate to, well, dump the bitch/bastard, or jump overboard hoping that a passing luxury liner will happen to be plying the waters nearby. Please note: Being adrift in the Sea of Love, then being picked up by a luxury liner is an art form. Elizabeth Taylor is a faculty emeritus at the academy where the skill is taught, so is George Clooney. Tuition is very expensive at that particular academy, and the graduation rates are very low, just so you're prepared.
Basically, Katie Rose writes that one reason she is leaving Michigan is because her friends are leaving. This is where her youth peeks through. After you get to a certain age and have wasted enough time justifying yourself, you stop. You just do what you want to do, suck it up, and live with the consequences. However, Rose justifies her decision by writing, "If Michigan wants to compete with the other 'magnetic places' for youth, it's going to need to keep up in more categories. We'll never be a state with the flashing lights of New York, but we should also refuse to accept the consolation prize. We can compliment parks and our small town feel 'til we're blue in the face, but that makes Ann Arbor a 'safe date' with a 'nice personality' and not someone that inspires you to drop to one knee and make a long-term commitment to."
Not to be unkind, but the Katie Roses out there are no great prizes, demographically. I wrote in a January 2010 entry titled "The Politics of Demgraphics: Why All the Political Hand-Wringing and Fuss Over Gen Y?":
Looking for what is called a reliable voter? Look for a white woman aged 70 and above (a Baby Boomer), according to the U.S. Census Bureau. Looking for the least reliable voter on whom a candidate should think twice about wasting time, money and literature, the voter who goes to the polls with the least frequency? Look for a white woman aged 18-20, a so-called, Millenial (Gen Y) voter. Spending power? Gen Y’s spending power pales in comparison to that of the peak age group. According to data from U.S. Bureau of Labor and Statistics, the average Gen Y individual spends $25,000 per year, and has an annual household income barely above that, somewhere around $35,000 per year. The big earners and big spenders? Those are people in the 35-45 year-old age bracket, Gen Xers. They pull down salaries that average $70,000-$80,000 dollars per year and pump into the local economy, on average, double what Gen Y individuals part with in a year.
In April of 2010, I wrote in "The Politics of Development: If You Think It's About Urban Density and Affordable Living, Think Again":
67.5 percent of people born in Michigan who are 18 years or older have stayed in Michigan. Conversely, only 22 percent of the people currently living in Michigan who are 18 years or older were born in another state. Sticky is where it’s at for demographers. According to the Pew Social Trends study, “In the Midwest, nearly half of adult residents say they have spent their entire lives in their hometown.” That, my fellow native Michiganians, is a huge home court advantage that local, not to mention state-wide politicians overlook in favor of attracting new people to Michigan, particularly Gen Yers. It’s a losing battle. That demographic is moving South and West, not into the heartland. Gen Xers will relocate to the Midwest for jobs, and do. Make Ann Arbor dual career couple heaven and the Gen Xers will come.
In October of 2009 Katie Rose wrote in another blog entry that Gen Y “demands” are few:
Monthly rent between $600-$900
Close proximity to work and social scene (walking/biking distance)
Option to live alone affordably
No ‘cookie cutter’ condos – we want places with character
Flooring that has not seen the ravages of six years of lost beer pong tournaments
These several months later, after she'd left Ann Arbor for Mountainview, California, Katie Rose looks back over her shoulder and electronically quips:
"I would challenge Ann Arbor to commit itself to these three things, which would have made my decision to leave all the more difficult, if not completely obsolete."
- Job diversification. I didn't want to "dump" Michigan.
- A dynamic downtown. We lack discovery of new places, and I don't think the fact that Ann Arbor's a small town is an excuse. Give us something to explore and keep the chains out.
- Knock off the "Us vs. Them" development wars. Before I left, I participated in a few meetings where young people discussed development issues coming before Council. The tone was hopeful, but felt combative.
Here's a thought: Maybe being dumped by the Katie Roses of the world isn't such a tragedy. Google filled her entry-level job with another new grad, no doubt (well, maybe a little doubt, since Google never created the 1,000 jobs it promised when it came here, and demanded tax-subsidized parking). Her apartment has been rented (or at least there's a 90 percent chance it will be, since Ann Arbor has a 10 percent rental apartment vacancy rate city-wide, at the moment), Starbuck's and the other chains that have come into the downtown are still slinging hash, selling cups of java, and providing free Wi-Fi. In short, Gen Y is like a footprint in the sand, and the tide of time quickly washes away the slight traces of their residence among us.
I wish Katie Rose luck; I've enjoyed her posts even if I've not agreed with her conclusions, or found all of her insights illuminating. What I know is this: sometimes breaking up ain't so bad. What our city is sorely in need of are people who will relocate their established businesses here, provide real jobs, buy houses, pay taxes and be fickle every now and again—but have the money, maturity and good sense to realize that they don't have to justify it to anyone. Ever.