Sunset Magazine, not exactly known for being hip and happenin', names Fairbanks on a list of 20 "Towns of the Future." It starry-eyedly states, "Young entrepreneurs here are not hesitant to try something new, city halls are taking on the environment at a grassroots level, and universities are challenging old ways of thinking."
This is flattering, but it gives me pause. I need some time to think about why, and I'll write about it sometime, but in the meantime, let's look at some others on the list:
Boise, I agree with, Micron's having started the roots of what may be the next tech hub, after the Sili Valley and Austin, TX.
Pasadena, I'm not so sure about. Pasadena is a lovely town, and it has Cal Tech and the the Jet Propulsion Laboratory. But these are both institutions of long standing and already hard-earned respect. Calling Pasadena a "Town of the Future" is a bit like calling blue jeans "the apparel of the future".
And then Oakland. Are you kidding me? I like a lot of things about Oakland. I made regular forays into Oakland when I was an undergraduate student in Berkeley, going shopping in Chinatown and taking an extra class at Laney College, the community college therein. Oakland is also very beautiful up in the hills, where the fabulously wealthy minority live. But the majority of Oakland is known predominantly for its violent crime. Its Wikipedia page has an entire section devoted to this, and it cites grim statistics--In 2003, the latest year it cites, Oakland had 3.5 times the national average murder rate, and 2.31 times the national average violent crime rate overall. Town of the future? Not if people are too frightened to move there!
Palo Alto, CA? Geeze! Same comments as Pasadena!
5 comments:
I don't think they really put much thought into their list. Fairbanks is more an atavism than the city of the future. I mean, we're talking about a city where water is an optional luxury. Climate research? Maybe, but it's pretty much ignored in expanding Fairbanks...
Most articles from magazines or newspapers only represent views of authors. Besides, past performance does not mean future performance. Let us hope the author is right about Fairbanks :-)
I have serious doubts that the author(s) has EVER been to Fairbanks.
That being said, I always loved it. Still do.
When I lived in Walnut Creek, my car was broken into four different times. My car insurance rates, however, remained low because of my zip code.
When I moved to the Oakland hills, I rented a room in a GORGEOUS house that overlooked the whole bay, and my car was never broken into again. But because my zip code placed me in Oakland, my car insurance rates skyrocketed, even though my car was far more safe there than in Walnut Chic.
Not sure I have a point, just wanted to tell that story...
Well, thanks for sharing! :)
It enlightened me, anyway. I did know about the nice areas in Oakland (I'm a fan of Rockridge, although it's still got crime), but I had no idea Walnut Creek could be so bad...
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