Seattle 2.0 doesn’t exist, but flyover country offers hidden city gems

Last Sunday’s Money Makeover feature had the sobering news that a 56-year-old part-time art teacher won’t have the means to retire here, although she is a longtime Seattle resident. She won’t be the only one. Although Seattle is growing strongly, the city especially is becoming divided between the relatively affluent — even if this cohort includes middle-class folks who can hang on to their homes — and the poor, subsidized by public funds. If Seattle is merging with Silicon Valley, as the Economist magazine observed recently, even the relative affordability of parts of the metropolitan area will come under increasing pressure. Like it or not, Tacoma might eventually become Oakland to Seattle’s San Francisco. “Fixing” this is beyond public policy. Only so much land exists. The tech hub is roaring while many middle-income jobs are disappearing. This certainly is the case if one has a middle-income job and wants a Seattle single-family detached house. Building more will help, but it will be denser and, because of demand, still pricey. Some people will leave, by choice or not. And some won’t come. For example, this is among the last cities you should consider if you don’t have advanced skills in the… Read full this story

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