Some things stubbornly refuse to go away. Like ailanthus "trees." Or this.
Similarly, there are lingering perceptions about Baltimore, some good (affordable, city of neighborhoods), some trite (funky charm), some harmful (full of crime), and some outdated - that we're a blue collar town, for example.
My relatives worked at American Can and Sparrows Point back when both places provided steady jobs with good pay and benefits. These were old economy jobs that were mostly lost a long time ago, but their ghosts haunt our public image.
More often than not, Baltimore is still thought of, and talked about, as an old industrial city. A blue-collar town. Part of the rust belt. More akin to Cleavland or Pittsburgh than our tawny neighbor 30 miles down the Baltimore/Washington Parkway.
The reality may surprise you.
We just released our annual 2008/2009 State of Downtown Report where, among other data, we track how Downtown compares to other cities across the country. With 40,000 residents within a one-mile radius of the Inner Harbor, we're 7th for population density, ahead of places like Boston, San Diego, Denver, Washington, Atlanta, and Portland.
There are 113,000 jobs in that same area which puts us 16th in the country, ahead of places like Dallas, Miami, and Phoenix.
And we rank 8th for the number of households here that make at least $75,000.
One of our biggest industry concentrations is in life sciences and biotechnology - areas where we expect tremendous job and investment growth over the next several decades. We're also strong in finance, insurance, and real estate jobs - which are holding their own, even in the current down economy.
It's telling that the American Can Company, where my grandfather worked, now houses a technology incubator, along with the kinds of high-end retail, coffee shops, and wine bars that have become signifiers of new economy success.
Looking at Downtown's economic data, you can't help but lose the long-held perception that Baltimore is still a shadow of its former industrial self. True Baltimore is still working class, but these days that refers to entrepreneurialism not steel.
-Mike Evitts
Similarly, there are lingering perceptions about Baltimore, some good (affordable, city of neighborhoods), some trite (funky charm), some harmful (full of crime), and some outdated - that we're a blue collar town, for example.
My relatives worked at American Can and Sparrows Point back when both places provided steady jobs with good pay and benefits. These were old economy jobs that were mostly lost a long time ago, but their ghosts haunt our public image.
More often than not, Baltimore is still thought of, and talked about, as an old industrial city. A blue-collar town. Part of the rust belt. More akin to Cleavland or Pittsburgh than our tawny neighbor 30 miles down the Baltimore/Washington Parkway.
The reality may surprise you.
We just released our annual 2008/2009 State of Downtown Report where, among other data, we track how Downtown compares to other cities across the country. With 40,000 residents within a one-mile radius of the Inner Harbor, we're 7th for population density, ahead of places like Boston, San Diego, Denver, Washington, Atlanta, and Portland.
There are 113,000 jobs in that same area which puts us 16th in the country, ahead of places like Dallas, Miami, and Phoenix.
And we rank 8th for the number of households here that make at least $75,000.
One of our biggest industry concentrations is in life sciences and biotechnology - areas where we expect tremendous job and investment growth over the next several decades. We're also strong in finance, insurance, and real estate jobs - which are holding their own, even in the current down economy.
It's telling that the American Can Company, where my grandfather worked, now houses a technology incubator, along with the kinds of high-end retail, coffee shops, and wine bars that have become signifiers of new economy success.
Looking at Downtown's economic data, you can't help but lose the long-held perception that Baltimore is still a shadow of its former industrial self. True Baltimore is still working class, but these days that refers to entrepreneurialism not steel.
-Mike Evitts
