Greensboro remains 'less than robust’ : News-Record.com : Greensboro & the Triad's most trusted source for local news and analysis

GREENSBORO — The 2012 State of the City report, released today by The Greensboro Partnership, describes local conditions as “less than robust.”

By now, the phrase should have developed a familiar ring.

“I have used that nearly every year,” said Keith Debbage, a professor of urban geography at UNCG, who prepared the report.

“Essentially, that has been an ongoing headline.”

Debbage stressed that he would change his thesis line whenever the local economy recovers.

But “Greensboro continues to struggle,” the report said.

Unemployment remains high; one in five people live in poverty; and median earnings and per capita income have declined significantly.

“It’s not pretty,” Pat Danahy, president and CEO of The Greensboro Partnership, said of the report. “I don’t disagree with it.”

But he and Debbage also expressed a note of optimism.

“The recovery, though fledgling, is beginning to take hold,” Debbage said. “There are some silver linings.”

According to the report:

“A manufacturing renaissance” that includes high-paying jobs is under way.From 2009 to 2010, the most recent year for which data is available, the city experienced a 0.4 percent increase in the percentage of workers employed in manufacturing, long a staple in the city’s economy.What’s more, manufacturing wages increased 5.3 percent — to more than $54,000 — from 2009 to 2010,
Efforts to attract young professionals between the ages of 20 and 34 “may be bearing fruit.”
Between 2006 and 2010, the number of people in that demographic increased a full percentage point, to 24.8 percent,
The high school dropout rate remained one of the lowest in the state for major urban systems, declining from 3.13 percent in 2008-2009 to 2.81 percent the following year.
The county’s infant mortality rate decreased from 10.4 per 1,000 live births in 2009 to 9.5 in 2010,
The teen pregnancy rate declined from 49.9 per 1,000 females aged 15-19 in 2009 to 41.7 in 2010.The report called that “a substantive drop and part of a long-term downward trend.”
The city experienced a positive population growth rate, increasing 20.4 percent from 2000 to 2010, But that performance lags behind other major cities in the state, including Raleigh (46.3 percent), Charlotte (35.2 percent), Winston-Salem (23.6 percent) and Durham (22.1 percent.)

“We are by no means a community in crisis,” Debbage said of the findings. “I have never believed that.”

But the city does have its share of problems. They include:

A 2010 poverty rate that remained painfully high at 20.1 percent,
A county tax base that remained stagnant, increasing a modest 0.5 percent from $36.6 billion in 2009-2010 to $36.8 billion in 2010-2011,
Median earnings that fell to less than $24,000 in 2010, a drop of 8.6 percent, That compares to increases of 3.7 percent in Winston-Salem and 2.6 percent in Charlotte,

Debbage said he anticipates better numbers ahead.

“I’m optimistic that next year’s report will indicate a turning of the course for our community,” Debbage said. “You are beginning to see signs of that already.”

Contact Donald W. Patterson at 373-7027 or don.patterson@news-record.com

goodtoknow

February 3, 2012 - 8:41 am EST

For the nation....The CBO (Congressional Budget Office) predicts a 2.0% increase in the economy for 2012 with unemployment at 8.9% this fall. For 2013 less than 2.0% increase in the economy and unemployment at about 9.5%.

The city council should take this into consideration when thinking of any bonds, etc. that would increase property taxes.

destinys mother in law

February 3, 2012 - 8:58 am EST

"manufacturing wages increased 5.3 percent — to more than $54,000 — from 2009 to 2010,... [while] median earnings fell to less than $24,000 in 2010, a drop of 8.6 percent."
Greensboro is ideally located for manufacturing and distribution of products: rail lines and first rate airport. In addition, we have solid universities and a diverse culture. We have the ingredients for attracting and developing first rate businesses. And we finally have a dynamic mayor to get the word out.

buzzman

February 3, 2012 - 11:37 am EST

Yep! Crony Capitalism at it's finest.

Julianne

February 3, 2012 - 9:07 am EST

Maybe if the people of Greensboro would be more forward thinking; ie, trying to stonewall the Trader Joe's effort, opposing everything that has to do with change or moving forward, the 20 - 30 something demographic would want to locate here. There is not a lot to offer that age group when compared to Charlotte or Raleigh.

katei

February 4, 2012 - 2:04 pm EST

I'm one of those trying to "stonewall the Trader Joe's effort."

Let me be very clear: this isn't a "Trader Joe's effort" this is an effort by Regency Centers (national stripmall builders) to build a stripmall. Trader Joe's isn't coming.

I'm not against change. or moving forward. I'm a green-haired 20-something who would love for Greensboro to embrace ANYTHING besides the lackluster vanilla image which our leaders seem to love so much.

The "change" we REALLY NEED is to cultivate the wonderful culture Greensboro tries so hard to hide with things like new stripmalls.

jeed

February 3, 2012 - 9:13 am EST

"Greensboro remains 'less than robust’"

LOL. You don't say? I was born and raised in GSO. Went to Page High School and NCA&T, then - like almost everyone else 40 and/or under, HAD to move for a true career path and cultural social opportunities. I was "at home" for a week during the 2011 holiday season. With the exception of a "few" nice establishments for dining/drinking downtown, nothing has changed - no progress. The people who do not want Greensboro to grow and thrive obviously still run the town.

sunshyne72

February 3, 2012 - 10:02 am EST

This is not surprising. I've lived here for over 12 yrs and have witnessed the jobs, particularly call centers, come and go. I'm in agreement with Julianne's comment. The people of the Triad must be more open minded to change. There are several universities in the area and the students upon graduating really have no reason to call the area home due to its lack of opportunities. My family & I are in the process of relocating to a city where we can obtain a career, good education and cultural opportunities for us (esp. our children). There are plenty of different cultures here in the city but nothing is done to truly educate our communities on them like other cities. I've met several people in the area that is no longer calling the city Greensboro - it's being called Greensboring!

infolit

February 3, 2012 - 12:04 pm EST

Which city are you relocating to?

OldReporter

February 3, 2012 - 10:58 am EST

Relocated here for a job opportunity from another North Carolina city. It was the stupidest decision of my life. The employment possibility went sour when promises were not kept, the highly touted public schools in our attendance district, once among the best in the state, are racing to the bottom; the real estate prices are comparable to a Raleigh or a Charlotte, even though the income, amenities, cultural life and educational possibilities are nowhere close to either of those cities. While other places are growing, building, planning and embracing the future (witness the public private partnership that resulted in a revived downtown and the construction of a world-class performing arts center in Durham), we are arguing over whether a Trader Joe's will locate here. Do you have any earthly idea how stupid that makes us look?

areyouserious

February 3, 2012 - 11:22 am EST

This^^^ Well said...

February 4, 2012 - 1:57 pm EST

I'm with you until the last bit...

I'd like to point out that its not about Trader Joe's---that's a big ol' red herring concocted by Regency Centers to illicite reactions such as yours.

I'm arguing against building another stripmall in an area of town which has plenty of empty retail real estate. Greensboro DOES need to enhance the cultural life of our town and embrace the future...

BUT building another stripmall works against that drastically. So we aren't arguing over a Trader Joe's; we're attempting to stop an out-of-town national developer from further inhibiting our culture and growth.

Whats "stupid" is how hard that is for other to see.

pcraft

February 3, 2012 - 11:06 am EST

My wife and I moved here 3 years ago, when I was 34, after almost ten years in New York City, and having lived in Boston, Seattle, and Los Angeles. We love Greensboro! We agree with AOL Finance, which recently ranked Greensboro a top ten city in the nation to raise a family. The arts and culture scene here is strong, access to the outdoors is great, there are excellent restaurants, 7 colleges and universities with 47,000 students, a downtown continuing a strong resurgence, and most important to us, the people of the city are fantastic.

Some who grew up here may take it for granted, but having lived in so many places where anonymity and individualism trumped community, we really value the overall sense of community among people here, the level of engagement in local and world affairs, the philanthropic spirit, coordinated planning among business, civic, and higher education leaders to advance transformative projects for the city, like Center City Park and the downtown baseball stadium, and the general investment the city's residents have in the future of the city.

I have great confidence in the future economy of Greensboro and region, thanks to its great location and strategic planning, vision and coordination of local and regional leaders. The conversation here should not be about whether Greensboro is a great place to live, but how we can work together to address the poverty noted in the Partnership's report, broaden opportunity and cultivate economic growth that benefits a wide cross section of the city. A lot is being done in that respect, including OneJobGreensboro.com, AchieveGuilford.org, OpportunityGreensboro.com, and DowntownGreenway.org.

Addressing poverty and advancing the economy requires bringing communities together and coordinated effort across business, nonprofit and public sectors. Lucky for Greensboro, the people here have proven that kind of collaboration is not only possible, it's one of the primary strengths of the city.

February 3, 2012 - 12:54 pm EST

I didn't mean to imply that there is nothing good here. There are a lot of wonderful things about Greensboro. I just think that in some areas we are severely lacking. When looking at Charlotte, the banking center, and Raleigh/Durham/Chapel Hill with RTP, we are lagging in the areas that can attract young college graduates looking for careers in areas such as engineering, finance and other high tech areas. It would be interesting to study the average age of population here since the 1960's or thereabout. Greensboro doesn't have to be bigger to be better. We just need visionaries to think smarter.

Abner Doon

February 3, 2012 - 1:17 pm EST

We need a level playing field for those looking to relocate jobs.

We need some ethical leadership
that doesn't look like a bunch of bought politicians
looking to enrich themselves and their contributors.

February 4, 2012 - 2:06 pm EST

...or developers looking to better their portfolios at the expense of our town.

February 3, 2012 - 12:12 pm EST

Wow, one in five at the poverty level? That's pretty bad. This may sound stereotypical, but I'm guessing that the african american community is more likely to have members in that demographic than others in the area. I say that because it's obvious that there is a large african american population in greensboro, and they are generally considered to be more at risk for poverty than other segments of the population all around the country, not just here.

So my question is, what can we do to get these folks more engaged in the city's economy? What can be done to raise their graduation levels and help to ensure that they get the education they need to be significant contributors in this economy? It's not enough to have retail and food industry employment for this population. I think these questions need to be addressed if GSO is to move ahead as one of the state's economic leaders.

February 3, 2012 - 1:14 pm EST

"Greensboro remains 'less than robust’", 2012 STATE OF THE CITY REPORT: GREENSBORO, NC - and some of what was not included in Don Patterson's GN&R article

http://triadwatch.blogspot.com/2012/02/greensboro-remains-less-than-robu...

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