Fueling the City

Young creative people still flock to Seattle, boosting the city’s own reputation for creativity.

By Talia Schmidt | March 2010 | FROM THE PRINT EDITION

Credit: Photograph by Hayley Young

Steve Neuman came to Seattle because of the city's vibrant
arts scene, the urban lifestyle and creative culture-and the jobs he couldn't
find in San Francisco or Portland.

When Alfred Hitchcock's The 39 Steps came to the Seattle Repertory Theatre last fall,
Steven Neuman and his wife, Yelena, quickly bought tickets. As new arrivals in
a city known for embracing progressive art, ideas and music, the Neumans
planned to take advantage of the many cultural opportunities they would have.
They walked into the Rep to be greeted by a full house, a completely sold-out show-on
a Wednesday evening at 5 p.m.

That's why they moved to Seattle. Well, that
and the relatively good job opportunities, and the fact that they can walk
their dog, Boris, in the one-of-a-kind sculpture park right behind their condo
near Seattle's waterfront.

"It makes you feel really good about the place
you're living when the community supports the arts like that," Neuman says.
"That play was in the middle of the week."

A 2007 University of Oregon graduate, Neuman moved to
Spokane to begin his career at the same newspaper where he interned throughout
his college years, The Spokesman-Review.
After a few months working as a reporter and copy editor, he was laid off,
shortly before the paper went through its first round of massive layoffs. He is
hardly alone right now.

Seattle is one of only a handful of cities to which young
professionals are flocking. An increasing number of college graduates have
adopted this city known for its hotbed of technology, its success in generating
new startup companies and its openness to new ideas.

A September 2009 edition of The Wall Street Journal ranked the "Next Youth-Magnet Cities" that recent
ambitious college grads now call home. The verdict? Seattle tied for first
place with Washington, D.C. Author Richard Florida-his book, The Rise
of the Creative Class, has transformed the
way urban planners work-says Seattle is a "high-tech and lifestyle mecca."
Seattle was also ranked City of the Year in Fast Company magazine's "13 Most Creative Cities in the World."

But during the toughest recession this generation will
probably ever face, it's a wonder that 20-somethings and other young folk still
manage to afford basic necessities, let alone to travel and experience the
world at large. But they thrive on the ability to find their own way. And
they're still coming.

Welcome to Generation Y, the casual-dressing, hardworking,
multitasking, tweeting-on-the-go demographic. Nowadays, they follow this
formula: graduate from college, choose a vibrant city with a hip reputation to
live