>There's a reason no one is excited to move to Toledo, or Lansing, or South Bend
I think if we look at what made these cities we can understand their current standing --but with effort they can change. Portland was not always Portland; Austin wasn't always Austin. People need to invest and put in effort to drive these places to where they want them. They sure don't have to be replicas of NYC or LA, or SF. They can bring to them what they find valuable while at the same time changing with the times to accommodate and attract or keep their youth as they move into the workforce from Uni.
They can transform these small-to-mid-sized cities into attractive cities with (youthful) Midwestern values.
I think if we look at what made these cities we can understand their current standing --but with effort they can change. Portland was not always Portland; Austin wasn't always Austin. People need to invest and put in effort to drive these places to where they want them. They sure don't have to be replicas of NYC or LA, or SF. They can bring to them what they find valuable while at the same time changing with the times to accommodate and attract or keep their youth as they move into the workforce from Uni.
They can transform these small-to-mid-sized cities into attractive cities with (youthful) Midwestern values.