America's Job Boomtowns> Florida's Hot, Midwest is Not> > Kate Lorenz, CareerBuilder.com Editor> > Looking for a new job? You might want to think about heading to the> Sunshine State. > > For the second year in a row, Florida metropolitan areas dominate the> Milken Institute Best Performing Cities Index, a measurement of where> jobs are being created in America. > > The 2005 Index's top three metro areas adding jobs at rapid pace are in> Florida, led by this year's top-ranked metro, Palm> Bay-Melbourne-Titusville, followed by last year's top scorer, Cape> Coral-Fort Myers, and Naples-Marco Island, in third place. > > The Palm Bay-Melbourne-Titusville area is located near the John F.> Kennedy Space Center and has a diversified economy with many aerospace> and defense-related industries, as well as space-related tourism and a> growing number of retirees. > > Even severe hurricane seasons could not topple Florida's growth trends.> The state's metros hold not just the index's top three slots, but five> of its top six and 12 of its top 30. > > "The state is creating jobs at a prodigious rate," said Ross DeVol, the> Institute's director of Regional Economics and the report's lead author.> "It has all the makings of a job-creating machine: good weather, low> costs, a growing population, a strong tourism industry and little heavy> manufacturing." > > The index ranks U.S. metros based on their ability to create and> sustain jobs. It includes both long-term (five years) and short-term> (one year) measurements of job, wage and salary, and technology growth.> > > The 2005 winners have similar characteristics: strong and growing> service sectors, a robust recovery in tourism, growing populations and> an increase in the number of retirees. As evidence, six metros in the> top 20 come from the Southwest, including three in California> (Riverside, Santa Barbara and Santa Ana) and two in Arizona (Tucson and> Phoenix). The other is Las Vegas. > > By comparison, the Midwest has none. The top-rated Midwest metro is> Madison, Wis., at 35th. Nine of the bottom 10 spots on the index were> from the Midwest -- five from Michigan and four from Ohio -- reflecting> the region's troubled manufacturing sector. Flint, Mich., is at the> bottom at No. 200. > > Big-Cities' Rankings: The top 10 performers of the 200 largest metros:> > 1. Palm Bay-Melbourne-Titusville, Fla.> 2. Cape Coral-Fort Meyers, Fla.> 3. Naples-Marco Island, Fla.> 4. McAllen-Edinburg-Mission, Texas > 5. Deltona-Daytona Beach-Ormond Beach, Fla.> 6. Orlando-Kissimmee, Fla.> 7. Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-Va.-Md.-W.Va.> 8. Fayetteville-Springdale-Rogers, Ark.-Mo.> 9. Fort Lauderdale-Pompano Beach-Deerfield Beach, Fla.> 10. Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, Ca.> > > Thanks to the presence of the federal government and a dramatic> increase in the growth of technology firms in the region, the> Washington, D.C. metropolitan area is the highest-ranked of America's> largest 10 cities, at No. 7, followed by Riverside-San> Bernardino-Ontario, Calif. at No. 10 and Phoenix-Mesa-Scottsdale, Ariz.> at No. 15. > > Small-Cities' Rankings: > > In what amounts to a clean sweep, another Florida metro -- Fort Walton> Beach-Crestview-Destin -- also ranked No. 1 on the Institute's separate> listing of America's smallest 179 metros, followed by Bend, Ore. (2),> and Prescott, Ariz. (3). > > 1. Fort Walton Beach-Crestview-Destin, Fla.> 2. Bend, Ore.> 3. Prescott, Ariz.> 4. Panama City-Lynn Haven, Fla.> 5. St. George, Utah> 6. Madera, Calif.> 7. Kennewick-Richland-Pasco, Wash.> 8. Logan, Utah-Idaho > 9. Yuma, Ariz.> 10. Coeur d'Alene, Idaho > > The biggest movers from last year were Bremerton-Silverdale, Wash.,> which moved up 104 places (122nd to 18th), and Newark-Union, N.J.-Penn.,> which dropped 101 spots (39th to 140th).
Cork On the OceanCork On the Oceandirectionally challengedSeacrest Beach2,450 postsJoined View profileMessagedirectionally challenged
Cork On the Oceandirectionally challengedSeacrest Beach2,450 postsJoined View profileMessagedirectionally challenged5,090 views
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32Cork On the OceanCork On the Oceandirectionally challengedSeacrest Beach2,450 postsJoined View profileMessagedirectionally challengedAuthor
Cork On the Oceandirectionally challengedSeacrest Beach2,450 postsJoined View profileMessagedirectionally challengedAuthorI come from a family that worked the grill/deep fryer for at least two generations. Many people don't attach their own self-worth or the worth of others to their jobs and they don't need other people to feel sorry for them. :shock: When my father died (and he worked the grill/deep fryer right up until the day he died), the church was full (so full that not everyone could sit down) because of the respect he earned from the townspeople, customers, and others after serving people for 30 years. I wish they were still around so that after years of working the grill they could sit on the beach with a nice cold drink so that I could say, can I carry your beach chair? Get you another drink? Fold down the sheets for your nap? Get you your pills? When I live well at the beach, or elsewhere, it is in their honor.
Thank you for you heartfelt words Paula. I feel exactly the same. I'm truly sorry about your parents. :( There's never enough time! I'm so lucky to have mine still. My dad was an upholsterer and worked very hard his whole life. I was the first kid in my family to go to college and I had to work myself through it as a single mom on welfare. My parents only had love to give me but that was plenty. I too am half Italian :lol: At that time I was perfectly happy with my 2BR/1B home.
Sometimes people can't see beyong the definition of success that society teaches us. Clearly the streetsweeper may be a more enlightened person than a successful medical professional. It's all in how one measures success and like you, I don't define success by what one's accumulated and have great respect for those who perform humble tasks.
Regarding SoWal wages. When I first came to Sowal, I was a practicing pharmacist. I accepted a position making 50K per year more than I was making in Tampa Bay, presumably because of a greater need for such professionals in this area. I believe that landscapers, cleaning people and other professionals also earn higher wages that in some other parts of the state.
Skunk, not sure what type of housing you need but I'm assuming a single family home with your family. The Mack Bayou area has some nice family homes, very close to sacred heart for less than $400K in nice communities. We are in the process of placing a health trainer and his family in the area whose top price was $350 and there are many nice homes for him to choose from. You just need to know where to look.
Shelly, the employment article was't written by me and just posted for in
formational reasons not to get into a debate or invoke anger or negative passion . I believe that higher employment is a good think.
PaulaPaulaBeach FanaticMichigan but someday in SoWal as well3,747 postsJoined View profileMessageBeach Fanatic
PaulaBeach FanaticMichigan but someday in SoWal as well3,747 postsJoined View profileMessageBeach FanaticLooks like the discussion is getting back on track! CCK and Cork both have first-hand knowledge of the area and the issues.
As for the affordable housing market/job situation, one way that people solve problems is to look at what strategists call "white space" -- areas that provide opportunities that fall outside the traditional ways of thinking and aren't easily captured by existing data or theories or best practices. Here's a link that loosely describes white white space strategizing in the business world, but it could also be useful in community planning.
http://www.innovation-point.com/marketentry.htm
I like these three questions they posed (again they're business related but may be useful for community planning as well):
1. Where are the most exciting areas for growth, and how should we participate? How can we radically change the rules of competition?
2. How should we leverage our existing core competencies to create new growth opportunities?
3. What kind of technological innovations will enable us to create new markets to drive growth?
These kinds of questions could be adapted for SoWal's (or any community's) situation, even though the goal being pursued would be different.
Many individuals find opportunities (including in housing and jobs) by finding the white space and seeing opportunity where others don't. Fewer communities and businesses do so because it can be harder to do as a group. The situation (opportunities and problems) are even more complex at a group/societal level and human dynamics (such as those we see on this message board) -- even with smart people -- can make it harder to find solutions.
Having listened to these discussions on this board, I have developed even more appreciation for people who do study/work in urban/town/city planning. Tough job. (Isn't this Donna's background?)
PS: Cork, being Italian is fun, isn't it! Everyone has a sweet story or two to tell regardless of their background (thanks for your kind words, by the way) and we'll have to share some of these stories while at the beach and have a few toasts to the people who helped to make our good lives possible! Life is indeed too short to be cranky and cynical. Hope you can help Skunk out!
As for the affordable housing market/job situation, one way that people solve problems is to look at what strategists call "white space" -- areas that provide opportunities that fall outside the traditional ways of thinking and aren't easily captured by existing data or theories or best practices. Here's a link that loosely describes white white space strategizing in the business world, but it could also be useful in community planning.
http://www.innovation-point.com/marketentry.htm
I like these three questions they posed (again they're business related but may be useful for community planning as well):
1. Where are the most exciting areas for growth, and how should we participate? How can we radically change the rules of competition?
2. How should we leverage our existing core competencies to create new growth opportunities?
3. What kind of technological innovations will enable us to create new markets to drive growth?
These kinds of questions could be adapted for SoWal's (or any community's) situation, even though the goal being pursued would be different.
Many individuals find opportunities (including in housing and jobs) by finding the white space and seeing opportunity where others don't. Fewer communities and businesses do so because it can be harder to do as a group. The situation (opportunities and problems) are even more complex at a group/societal level and human dynamics (such as those we see on this message board) -- even with smart people -- can make it harder to find solutions.
Having listened to these discussions on this board, I have developed even more appreciation for people who do study/work in urban/town/city planning. Tough job. (Isn't this Donna's background?)
PS: Cork, being Italian is fun, isn't it! Everyone has a sweet story or two to tell regardless of their background (thanks for your kind words, by the way) and we'll have to share some of these stories while at the beach and have a few toasts to the people who helped to make our good lives possible! Life is indeed too short to be cranky and cynical. Hope you can help Skunk out!
Cork On the OceanCork On the Oceandirectionally challengedSeacrest Beach2,450 postsJoined View profileMessagedirectionally challengedAuthor
Cork On the Oceandirectionally challengedSeacrest Beach2,450 postsJoined View profileMessagedirectionally challengedAuthorLooks like the discussion is getting back on track! CCK and Cork both have first-hand knowledge of the area and the issues.
As for the affordable housing market/job situation, one way that people solve problems is to look at what strategists call "white space" -- areas that provide opportunities that fall outside the traditional ways of thinking and aren't easily captured by existing data or theories or best practices. Here's a link that loosely describes white white space strategizing in the business world, but it could also be useful in community planning.
http://www.innovation-point.com/marketentry.htm
I like these three questions they posed (again they're business related but may be useful for community planning as well):
1. Where are the most exciting areas for growth, and how should we participate? How can we radically change the rules of competition?
2. How should we leverage our existing core competencies to create new growth opportunities?
3. What kind of technological innovations will enable us to create new markets to drive growth?
These kinds of questions could be adapted for SoWal's (or any community's) situation, even though the goal being pursued would be different.
PS: Cork, being Italian is fun, isn't it! Everyone has a sweet story or two to tell regardless of their background (thanks for your kind words, by the way) and we'll have to share some of these stories while at the beach and have a few toasts to the people who helped to make our good lives possible! Life is indeed too short to be cranky and cynical. Hope you can help Skunk out!
Good Morning,
The questions posed on innovation-point work for life in general. To reach into oneself, embrace creative solutions and then act on those notions will provide answers to most problems. Rigid thinking will never produce results. It's only when we can think from a new perspective that solutions come. Each of us will see different answers to the questions posed above. Some will see no answers.
There is affordable housing for workers in this area. We sold a home less than $250K (maybe in the high hundreds) to a young couple a few months back. Not sure how much exactly but it was very low end in price. It took a while but they were patient and they are so happy to now be in the ranks of owners rather than renters. The area will put appreciation in their pocket and they can now move up in the future. They didn't have that option renting. Your mom and dad of meager means apparently took that risk, saw that oportunity and made sacrifices to provide for you guys.
Many areas in Florida don't have anything under $800K south of the bay. We still do and I don't think it will be too long before that disappears and people will have to move significantly inland to find affordable housing. These are the areas for growth in the Panhandle. Many of them! Some people only see 30A or Destin and at this point have champagne taste with beer budget pocket books. So we can focus on complaining how it's become an area for "them that have" or we can focus our energy on ways to acheive our goals if being on 30A is one of them. If one loves this area, buy in an "undiscovered" area which will have higher appreciation rates over time than those which the masses flock to. With patience, the gap between the areas will lessen.
Regarding leveraging for new opportunities. That's a standard strategy of all successful investors. This point is the sticking point where many fail. It's the point of "action" where risk is required. There are many dreamers but few doers. Many are unwilling to risk anything to grow. (real estate, business, love interests, whatever) I think part of our ability to embrace risk depends on the value we place on what we are risking. As you so poignantly reminded us, I am much less willing to take risk when it comes to those I love because they can never be replaced but stuff can always be replaced so I risk a little more.
I'm certain that the grim reaper will come in to tell us that many risked and now they are in trouble. I believe many blindly went for the "easy buck". They heard the stories of "instant wealth". Their eyes got big and they bought sales pitches, hook, line and sinker. That is blind. Now rather than being flexible and focusing on solutions until the tides change, they are freaking out dumping prime property because they don't know the nature of the market in general and they are too busy focusing on negative predictions of doom and gloom. They should be focusing on ways to sustain but they see real estate investing as short term which it just isn't.
Our confidence in ourself will also affect our ability or willingness to take risk. No one has a bigger problem than a Libra 😀 taking action because they can never make up there mind :lol: . But I was raised to believe in myself and the power within. I have faith in my ability to create solutions and I don't place undue value on the material.
PaulaPaulaBeach FanaticMichigan but someday in SoWal as well3,747 postsJoined View profileMessageBeach Fanatic
PaulaBeach FanaticMichigan but someday in SoWal as well3,747 postsJoined View profileMessageBeach FanaticPsssst, Cork, I moved over to the lounge... I'm not supposed to be on this thread anymore. But let me just say "useful information, Cork, especially the part about finding the house for that couple..." (don't tell our friends in the lounge that I came back to this thread)
>>>>>>>>>>>>> lounge
>>>>>>>>>>>>> lounge
beachmousebeachmouseBeach FanaticBluewater Bay, FL3,499 postsJoined View profileMessageBeach Fanatic
beachmouseBeach FanaticBluewater Bay, FL3,499 postsJoined View profileMessageBeach FanaticI'm still finding it kind of weird that $250K counts as affordable housing. A couple years back we had an intern at work who was retraining in IT after she lost her job in a textile mill closing. Even then, there was talk about building better affordable housing, and that modular development in Freeport (I want to say Bear Creek) came up for discussion. Decent but not extravagent for somewhere in the $90-$120K range. She thought it was pretty insane to call that affordable because most of the people she knew in the Freeport-Bruce area couldn't afford to pay more than $60-$70K for housing.
Granted this was before the days of exotic loans and such, but I'd put the non-select service worker affordable housing price point somewhere in the $125K range.
Florida Trend has their annual economic yearbook issue out, and it's mostly online if anyone is curious. State's still getting a net population gain of 1060 people a day, and everyone still seems cautiously optimistic.
Per capita income 2006
Bay- $28,799
Gulf- $20,419
Okaloosa- $34,309
Walton- $21,327
State Average- $33,814
2006 Population totals and average annual growth rate 2002-2006
Bay- 161,626 1.49%
Gulf- 15,697 1.36%
Okaloosa- 190,270 2.04%
Walton- 50,115 3.06%
State 17,894,089 1.75%
Granted this was before the days of exotic loans and such, but I'd put the non-select service worker affordable housing price point somewhere in the $125K range.
Florida Trend has their annual economic yearbook issue out, and it's mostly online if anyone is curious. State's still getting a net population gain of 1060 people a day, and everyone still seems cautiously optimistic.
Per capita income 2006
Bay- $28,799
Gulf- $20,419
Okaloosa- $34,309
Walton- $21,327
State Average- $33,814
2006 Population totals and average annual growth rate 2002-2006
Bay- 161,626 1.49%
Gulf- 15,697 1.36%
Okaloosa- 190,270 2.04%
Walton- 50,115 3.06%
State 17,894,089 1.75%
Cork On the OceanCork On the Oceandirectionally challengedSeacrest Beach2,450 postsJoined View profileMessagedirectionally challengedAuthor
Cork On the Oceandirectionally challengedSeacrest Beach2,450 postsJoined View profileMessagedirectionally challengedAuthorPsssst, Cork, I moved over to the lounge... I'm not supposed to be on this thread anymore. But let me just say "useful information, Cork, especially the part about finding the house for that couple..." (don't tell our friends in the lounge that I came back to this thread)
>>>>>>>>>>>>> lounge
:floor: :floor: Kind of hard to remain real anonymous here but my lips are sealed. Real estate thread lured me back but I must move back to the lounge for my sanity :rofl:
Cork On the OceanCork On the Oceandirectionally challengedSeacrest Beach2,450 postsJoined View profileMessagedirectionally challengedAuthor
Cork On the Oceandirectionally challengedSeacrest Beach2,450 postsJoined View profileMessagedirectionally challengedAuthorI'm still finding it kind of weird that $250K counts as affordable housing. Decent but not extravagent for somewhere in the $90-$120K range. She thought it was pretty insane to call that affordable because most of the people she knew in the Freeport-Bruce area couldn't afford to pay more than $60-$70K for housing.
Granted this was before the days of exotic loans and such, but I'd put the non-select service worker affordable housing price point somewhere in the $125K range.
Florida Trend has their annual economic yearbook issue out, and it's mostly online if anyone is curious. State's still getting a net population gain of 1060 people a day, and everyone still seems cautiously optimistic.
Per capita income 2006
Bay- $28,799
Gulf- $20,419
Okaloosa- $34,309
Walton- $21,327
State Average- $33,814
Oh, I agree Beachmouse. My first home was CLEARWATER for $17,000 Brand new! I bought it with $2,000 down. Just did a quick search for homes under $125K and surprisingly Escambia county had quite a few SFH's (Pensacola, Gulfbreeze and Navarre) Surprising because these are coastal areas.
Areas around destin, S walton are pretty much mobiles in that range but there are quite a few homes north of 98. Of note, there are know newer homes in that price range which is sad.
Land cost is not the only problem. Construction costs are also an issue. Even at $100/sq foot which is half of average in our area, a tiny 800 sq foot home would cost $80,000 to construct ($120K for 1200 sq ft-construction only) Add land cost, permitting, profit for the builder - that $125K is getting further and further away. I have a developer that I work with and I'm begging him to do affordable housing but he says it's just not worth it financially. I could sell the heck out of them everyday but he says he can't build them. These prefab homes may be the only way to go for housing in that range. No clue how much they cost to build. Anybody?
Even rents for this population is a problem. Can you imagine how hard it would be to pay $800/month (9600/yr) on a $15,000 per year income?
Regarding average income data. It would be interesting to know how they get this data. Is it only full-time residents. How bout all the people that have 2 homes? Where are their higher incomes captured? In our counties, I would think that we have a much higher full time resident rate inland where the incomes are lower or perhaps skewed in some way with so many farmers. Looking at the coast, we have more non-residents than residents to contribute to the total income. When more people move to Walton beaches full time, such as they have in Destin, I suspect our average will go up like it is in Okaloosa. This doesn't help those that are below the average.
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