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Yeah, I'm aware of who Deloitte is. I was just referencing the bit I highlighted in the quote from the article. I intended it as a lighthearted comment, not a condemnation of Deloitte as a company. Maybe it was just a poor choice of quotes for the article to use but I saw it (and still see it) as circular logic.
I gave a couple of paragraphs of my thoughts on the original topic and hope the best for Columbia and Deloitte. That one quip shouldn't outweigh the gist of my post.
You know how we are in this forum, we take a small thing.. blow it up and pick it apart.
We’re #10! We’re #10!
Tied with Dallas for 10th priciest luxury home market in the nation
Tied with Dallas for priciest luxury home market in the South
“‘The city of Charleston is also attracting more and more people for its climate, culture and lifestyle,’ the magazine said.”
We’re #10! We’re #10!
Tied with Dallas for 10th priciest luxury home market in the nation
Tied with Dallas for priciest luxury home market in the South
“‘The city of Charleston is also attracting more and more people for its climate, culture and lifestyle,’ the magazine said.”
"A number of partners — including the economic development offices of Richland County, Lexington County, and the City of Columbia; the CentralSC Alliance; the University of South Carolina; Midlands Technical College; the South Carolina Research Authority; and the I-77 Economic Development Alliance — came together to fund a $250,000 study on how the Columbia area could become more competitive in attracting high-paying tech and knowledge economy jobs.
The study — conducted by global consulting firm Deloitte — will be used to help guide economic development efforts in the Columbia area, especially as it relates to luring technology firms and other knowledge-based jobs. The plan was discussed at a Dec. 17 meeting of Columbia City Council’s economic and community development committee.
The consultants identified a number of challenges Columbia faces in landing the kind of innovative jobs that help infuse wealth into the local economy. For instance, it found that Columbia is simply not known for attracting and retaining knowledge-based talent."
With that kind of circular logic, I'd ask for my money back.
I've not spent much time in Columbia (and it's been years) but I didn't find much to interest me in going back. I've heard the same from others as well. There needs to be something to build on to start attracting people and get some momentum going. Charleston has the beaches/ocean, history, Spoleto Festival, and has built upon that with first class restaurants and other tourist related hooks like the Wildlife Exposition, Family Cup and a never ending run of lesser festivals: Blues, Film, Oysters, Shrimp and the enigmatic Holiday Festival Of Lights at the James Island County Park.(I've never understood the attraction)
I personally think Charleston owes Gian Carlo Menotti a big thank you. He started the first Spoleto Festival here in '77 (6 years before I got here) and while it struggled in the beginning, it helped put Charleston on the map in the world of arts and culture and drew the attention of NY city and the like. Mayor Riley also deserves a lot of credit for shepherding Charleston through that period of growth and discovery. He became mayor in '75 and while I don't think anyone likes everything he did, his vision did a lot towards keeping the city vibrant and healthy through the naval base closing, Hugo, etc. He was mayor for 40 years!
Basically, Charleston didn't become one of the top destinations overnight and it took a lot of things coming together for it to happen. Columbia can start to build on what it has to offer, but it's going to take time and dedication to change the current vibe and perspective. I read an article recently about some cities that are offering bright young workers cash to come live in their city. Tulsa is the only one I remember mentioned but one recipient was given $10,000 to move there. Maybe that's something Columbia should consider... sort of paying to become cool.
Columbia has plenty of annual festivals and cultural events as well as other sorts of amenities, just as any other city its size has. But just being a more tourist-friendly city doesn't guarantee that you'll attract lots of tech jobs in and of itself; if it did, Myrtle Beach, Savannah, New Orleans, Asheville, etc. would all be huge tech hubs and they obviously aren't. On the other hand, there's the Raleigh/Durham area which isn't anyone's definition of a tourist destination and it's one of the biggest tech centers in the country. Same goes for Huntsville, AL. Basically attracting more jobs in a particular sector is something a city and a larger region has to actively work towards in order to achieve results, and that's something Columbia and the Midlands has to get better at and this study referenced in the article has given them a blueprint for that.
Columbia has plenty of annual festivals and cultural events as well as other sorts of amenities, just as any other city its size has. But just being a more tourist-friendly city doesn't guarantee that you'll attract lots of tech jobs in and of itself; if it did, Myrtle Beach, Savannah, New Orleans, Asheville, etc. would all be huge tech hubs and they obviously aren't. On the other hand, there's the Raleigh/Durham area which isn't anyone's definition of a tourist destination and it's one of the biggest tech centers in the country. Same goes for Huntsville, AL. Basically attracting more jobs in a particular sector is something a city and a larger region has to actively work towards in order to achieve results, and that's something Columbia and the Midlands has to get better at and this study referenced in the article has given them a blueprint for that.
I agree and that's why I mentioned Charleston's beaches, historic value and the story of the Spoleto Festival which is not your run of the mill festival and attracts international interest. Over the years, other ingredients fell (or were helped) into place that all made Charleston a cool/hip place to live... The music scene (Hootie!) and arts in general dovetailing with Spoleto, MUSC, Folly Beach (inexpensive party beach) as examples.
I don't know much about Huntsville but the Triangle Area in NC got in on the tech act early for an eastern city. The first class educational facilities at Duke was the winning ticket there, I think. My youngest brother is a programmer who has lived there for decades.
I don't claim to be all knowing but that's the picture I see. Charleston has a lucky mix of magic ingredients that have come together to make it the success that it is. I would like to see that success build stronger in the tech arena and I think that is happening. Time will tell.
I'm going to be snooty here and say that Myrtle Beach is to Charleston as a wine cooler is to a fine champagne.
First letter to the editor in this morning’s P&C: This!
The writer lives on Rutledge Avenue. He decries the woeful inadequacy of Charleston’s street signage and lighting. I already wrote to the mayor and my city council rep asking them to please read it. When we first moved here six years ago, I really couldn’t believe how lacking street signs were. As the letter-writer says, many intersections have no street signs, and I’ll add that at many intersections where there are street signs, one blocks the view of the other because of the way they were mounted. The letter-writer singled out the lack of signage when leaving West Ashley driving toward the peninsula, among several other spots. It took me forever to not feel like I was just taking a stab at which way to go to get to where I wanted to go on the peninsula, because I couldn’t remember which way to fork. I knew my way around Columbia after living there 31 years, and I remember wondering if I just didn’t notice that Columbia had the same issue but didn’t notice because of knowing my way around. But no. Columbia isn’t missing street signs anywhere, and now they have especially attractive way-finding signs for all the districts and landmarks. They really are quite nice. They had a different type before we left, but have upgraded in a major way. So, with any luck, and money, maybe we can get a comprehensive resolution. One would think that as flush as this city usually is from tourist dollars, well marked streets and sharp, easy-to-follow wayfinding signage would be at the top of the ‘housekeeping’ list. That and restrooms at White Point Garden. Oh, and art on utility boxes. All of Columbia’s have it.
It will be interesting to see whether census data reflect the surge of out-of-staters relocating to Charleston now and working from home instead of waiting until retirement that this article claims is happening. Also, is it more a Charleston thing or a big southern migration in general?
And BTW, to anyone who is looking to move here, according to this article and so many local real estate articles before it, by all means shop to buy if that’s your goal, but be prepared to rent for a while and work locally with a good realtor who can help you navigate a very low-inventory market that has no quick fixes in sight because of the population influx per housing unit for sale.
Last edited by Charlestondata; 01-02-2021 at 07:22 AM..
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