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'Youth Magnet' Cities Swarming With Unemployed

By Kevin Spak,  Newser Staff

Posted May 16, 2009 1:00 PM CDT

(Newser) – The recession hasn’t done anything to stem the tide of young people pouring into places like Portland, Austin, and Seattle, the Wall Street Journal reports, and that’s straining those cities’ job markets. If anything, hipsters who’ve lost jobs elsewhere are more likely to set out for these reputedly cool locales. “A lot of people figure there aren’t jobs anywhere,” said one economist, “so they might as well be where they want to be.”

Portland’s unemployment rate has doubled since February 2007, and local business are closing rapidly as spending decreases. College grads are viciously competing for jobs they’re over-qualified for. “You have to wonder what would inspire someone to walk into a higher than US average unemployment rate,” says the president of a local staffing firm. But here's the rub: This same group of the educated under-employed could help cities like Portland rebound once the economy recovers, the Journal notes.

In this file photo from Feb. 26, 2008, a young couple enjoys the view of Mount Hood looming over downtown on a spring-like day in Portland, Ore.
In this file photo from Feb. 26, 2008, a young couple enjoys the view of Mount Hood looming over downtown on a spring-like day in Portland, Ore.   (AP Photo/Don Ryan, File)
In this July 10, 2008, file photo, a bicyclist is a blur traveling along the east bank of the Willamette River in Portland, Ore.
In this July 10, 2008, file photo, a bicyclist is a blur traveling along the east bank of the Willamette River in Portland, Ore.   (AP Photo/Don Ryan, file)
The Space Needle, right, is viewed May 30, 2000, against the backdrop of downtown Seattle, WA.
The Space Needle, right, is viewed May 30, 2000, against the backdrop of downtown Seattle, WA.   (Getty Images)
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