Joel Kotkin explores the reasons why those displaced by Hurricane Katrina have not moved back home and what it means for the cities where they are now living.
"But what happened to the estimated 1.5 million people who fled their flooded and destroyed homes in Alabama, Mississippi and Louisiana? The Katrina-spawned diaspora is arguably the largest in U.S. history. Federal statistics suggest that about 1 million evacuees from the hurricane-damaged areas have returned to their homes. That leaves a diaspora population of about half a million people. Where did they go? What happened to them?...
What seems to be happening is the boutiquing of New Orleans (think San Francisco), with its economy designed to service high-end clientele, tourists and a nomadic population of thrill-seeking young people. Lifestyle and culture would be its commodities...
..over time, diasporas often strengthen the places they settle, inspiring original settlers to strive for more than they otherwise would have...The cities in which Katrina victims are settling have their problems, of course, but they all boast diverse, highly cosmopolitan economies. ..The prospect of upward mobility in a new location may be the strongest reason for evacuees not to go home."
FULL STORY: Where Did the Gulf Coasters Go?
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