Attracting Young Professionals

[thelakelander]

I just turned 35, so I guess this is my last few months of being in the age range.  Of interesting note, I relocated to Jax at the age of 26.  I turned down a higher paying job offer with better benefits in Orlando to accept a lower paying job offer in Ponte Vedra Beach.  If I had taken the Orlando job, I could have kept my house in Lakeland, commuted 30 minutes each day, and been close to both sides of my family (Tampa/Plant City) and childhood friends.  I selected Jax because Orlando has never appealed to me.  Looking back, the only thing I kick regret is selling that house a year or two before the real estate market went crazy. With that said, I'm also like your friends.  I travel frequently to experience things I enjoy while I'm of age to enjoy them.  This weekend, I'm heading back out of town.

[simms3]

Leaving town on the weekends is nothing really to do with how "boring" your city may be, it's just something 20-30 somethings do.  Having lived in Atlanta and now SF, people in both cities pack their bags on the weekends.  There would be weekends in Atlanta where I swear everyone going out was from out of town and I would be left wondering where all the locals were.  In SF people seem to really take convenience to LA, Las Vegas, Reno and the PacNW to their advantage, not to mention Tahoe, Monterrey, SLO, Napa, etc.

[TPC]

Many people talk about the great climate and natural assets of Jacksonville, but I don't know if that applies so much to the young professionals as the young families in the 35-45 range. (I consider the Young Professional range to go from 23-35). Most people my age aren't fishing the flats of the intracoastal or kayaking Guana.  The only ones who are are doing it on their parents' boats because they're from here.

The recession really cut some job prospects for people who have graduated in the last 5 years.  That said, many couldn't be too picky about where they chose to work.  For young and talented people, they go where the best job is, and then they figure out the rest.  If I got a much better job in OKC, Charlotte, or Atlanta I would be packing my bags.  What I would like to do professionally has very limited options here, so a move may be inevitable.  QOL is a factor, but younger people manage to find a good time wherever they end up. 

Most of my friends in Jax are only here about 60% of the time on weekends.  Most go to Atlanta, DC, NYC, Miami, Vegas, Denver, or anywhere they feel like for the weekend just as a way to see friends and experience new things.  I don't travel as much as they do, but I have been to Atlanta twice, Savannah twice, NYC, DC, Raleigh, Palm beach twice, Tally and Gainesville 3 times a piece, and a few more places that I'm sure I'm forgetting all within the last year.  I don't know if this is similar to the generations prior, but there is only about 1 weekend a month where all of my friends are in town, if that.

You hit the nail on the head in regards to our natural assets. I know a lot of people who moved to NY, but they didn't do it for the natural landscape, they moved because it's a big city with a lot of opportunities and entertainment options.

If we want to attract young professionals we need to attract companies that will offer jobs in the tech/arts/entertainment industries and I don't see that happening anytime soon with the political landscape as it is now.

I do see the urban core as a catalyst for creating an environment that attracts young professionals. Below are a few suggestions to getting more young professionals downtown.

1. Jobs, especially those in the tech/arts/entertainment industry.
2. Offer cheap rent at or below the cost of Riverside, San Marco, and Springfield. If not there is no point since there are fewer amenities.
2. A fixed rail transit system.
3. More events downtown. Art Walk is cool, but it only happens once a month.

[JaxNole]

My wish list:

1. View life through the eyes of a young professional (i.e., visit/live elsewhere) and incorporate observations
2. Similar to UNF's flagship programs, identify focus industries and develop corresponding academic programs
3. Market according to the different demographics, rather than the ridiculous "Where Florida Begins"
4. Deemphasize the automobile; encourage walking/biking
5. Build heterogeneous communities
6. Champion, support, and groom potential leaders with inclusive progressive values
7. Act with agility, not as someone in hospice