Study Finds 'Gay-friendly' Cities Have More Economic Prosperity
According to George Mason University professor Richard Florida -- and author of The Rise of the Creative Class -- the more "gay-friendly" a city is, the more "economically prosperous" it will be. In his March 2007 paper "There Goes the Neighborhood" (which can be read here), Florida uses a "Gay Index" to show that "artistic, bohemian, and gay populations" have significant effects on housing values. He also found that gay-friendly areas typically support technological innovation and higher income levels. Additionally, educated young people tend to move to the most gay-friendly cities -- namely San Francisco, Seattle, Boston, Portland (Oregon), and Tampa (the top 5 on his list) -- because they generally have the best job markets. Florida argues that it is these cities' open-mindedness and tolerance of diversity has allowed them to thrive economically (versus prior economic success attracting open-minded people).
"Places that were open to gay and lesbian people were also the kind of places that could attract not only smart young people, but also Indian and Chinese immigrants who come here and start a lot of high tech companies," he said. "They were attracting people across the board, building up a talent base, and then innovating and starting these new enterprises."
Meanwhile, the least gay-friendly cities on his list, which tend to lose educated people to the more open-minded areas:
1. Pittsburgh, PA
2. Birmingham, AL; Detroit, MI
3. Buffalo, NY; Chartlotte NC; Oklahoma City, OK
To see a video of Florida explaining his findings on CNN's "In The Money," which aired yesterday, click here.
Study: 'Gay-friendly' cities enjoy more economic prosperity [The Raw Story]
Lazy Panda
Posted to Hot Stuff on 24 June 2007
· Comments (3)
Other stuff like this: cnn, ecomonics, gay index, gay issues, gay-friendly cities, glbt, richard florida
But do they prosper because they're gay-friendly.... or do they attract us because they're prosperous? Hmmmmm....
And where are places like Salt Lake City in that list? (The cities mentioned above aren't mentioned in the paper, and I can't watch video at the moment so I don't know if they were the only ones mentioned.) That's one example of a pretty happening place in terms of attracting high-tech business recently, but I don't think you could exactly call SLC gay-friendly.
Another would be Austin, TX ("Silicon Hills"). I see it listed as one of the gay friendliest cities in the country and "one of 50 Fabulous Gay-Friendly Places to Live by Gregory A. Kompes. (December 2005)" That's wonderful as the b/f and I will be moving there sometime before the end of this year. I can't wait, to be honest.
Now, being open minded and accepting doesn't necessarily lead to economic success...New Orleans is eligible for being the poster child of that. :(
No mention of Columbus, OH? We're supposed to be the third best city in the country for gay people... *pouts in the corner*