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Key to economic growth: Creative class or procreative class?

Urbanist contrarian Joel Kotkin thinks that the real drivers of metropolitan economies are not the hipsters in the core but the families in the burbs. Accordingly, he predicts that family-friendly cities (Houston, Dallas, Charlotte, Raleigh-Durham) will have the strongest job growth. Those cities fa

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David Brewster

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David Brewster Jul 7, 2025

Feb 6, 2018

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                <h1>Key to economic growth: Creative class or procreative class? </h1>
                <h2><p>Urbanist contrarian Joel Kotkin thinks that the real drivers of metropolitan economies are not the hipsters in the core but the families in the burbs. Accordingly, he predicts that family-friendly cities (Houston, Dallas, Charlotte, Raleigh-Durham) will have the strongest job growth. Those cities fa</p></h2>
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               <p>By <a href="/author/david-brewster-crosscut-com/">David Brewster</a></p> 
              <p><time datetime="2025-02-04T05:00:00-08:00">Feb 6, 2018</time></p>
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            <p>Urbanist contrarian Joel Kotkin thinks that the real drivers of metropolitan economies are not the hipsters in the core but the families in the burbs. Accordingly, he predicts that family-friendly cities (Houston, Dallas, Charlotte, Raleigh-Durham) will have the strongest job growth.</p><p>Those cities favored by young singles (Chicago, Boston, New York, San Francisco, and Seattle) keep losing productive population in their mid-30s, departing as the kids are about to enter school. Kotkin <a href="http://www.opinionjournal.com/editorial/feature.html?id=110010911&ref=dev.cascadepbs.org">lays out this theory</a> in a <i>Wall Street Journal</i> essay.</p><p>Urbanist contrarian Joel Kotkin thinks that the real drivers of metropolitan economies are not the hipsters in the core but the families in the burbs. Accordingly, he predicts that family-friendly cities (Houston, Dallas, Charlotte, Raleigh-Durham) will have the strongest job growth.   Those cities favored by young singles (Chicago, Boston, New York, San Francisco, and Seattle) keep losing productive population in their mid-30s, departing as the kids are about to enter school. Kotkin, <a href="http://www.opinionjournal.com/editorial/feature.html?id=110010911&ref=dev.cascadepbs.org">lays out this theory</a> in a <i>Wall Street Journal</i> essay.  He's taking aim at the theories espoused by</p>
          </article>

Urbanist contrarian Joel Kotkin thinks that the real drivers of metropolitan economies are not the hipsters in the core but the families in the burbs. Accordingly, he predicts that family-friendly cities (Houston, Dallas, Charlotte, Raleigh-Durham) will have the strongest job growth.

Those cities favored by young singles (Chicago, Boston, New York, San Francisco, and Seattle) keep losing productive population in their mid-30s, departing as the kids are about to enter school. Kotkin lays out this theory in a Wall Street Journal essay.

Urbanist contrarian Joel Kotkin thinks that the real drivers of metropolitan economies are not the hipsters in the core but the families in the burbs. Accordingly, he predicts that family-friendly cities (Houston, Dallas, Charlotte, Raleigh-Durham) will have the strongest job growth. Those cities favored by young singles (Chicago, Boston, New York, San Francisco, and Seattle) keep losing productive population in their mid-30s, departing as the kids are about to enter school. Kotkin, lays out this theory in a Wall Street Journal essay. He's taking aim at the theories espoused by

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David Brewster

By David Brewster

David Brewster founded Crosscut. He is now the director of Folio: The Seattle Athenaeum.

David Brewster founded Crosscut. He is now the director of Folio: The Seattle Athenaeum.