Derek Thompson reports on the twenty strongest metro areas and the major factors behind their success in recovering from the recession. He concludes that the country "did not experience an even, cross-country recession."
Thompson finds that education and health centers have fought back ferociously. "The eds and meds have outpaced the private sector in growth through the downturn, into the recovery, and they will continue to cast a long shadow over job creation in the next decade."
Similar Federal spending has allowed military cities to maintain a flowing economy through tech contracts and base spending. Cities such as Washington, Virginia Beach and Augusta have found this factor lucrative.
State capitals, cheap cost of living and Texas and the central time zone also feature heavily on the top 20 list, published by Brookings'.
FULL STORY: 5 Things America's Strongest Cities have In Common

Alabama: Trump Terminates Settlements for Black Communities Harmed By Raw Sewage
Trump deemed the landmark civil rights agreement “illegal DEI and environmental justice policy.”

Study: Maui’s Plan to Convert Vacation Rentals to Long-Term Housing Could Cause Nearly $1 Billion Economic Loss
The plan would reduce visitor accommodation by 25% resulting in 1,900 jobs lost.

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

Wind Energy on the Rise Despite Federal Policy Reversal
The Trump administration is revoking federal support for renewable energy, but demand for new projects continues unabated.

Passengers Flock to Caltrain After Electrification
The new electric trains are running faster and more reliably, leading to strong ridership growth on the Bay Area rail system.

Texas Churches Rally Behind ‘Yes in God’s Back Yard’ Legislation
Religious leaders want the state to reduce zoning regulations to streamline leasing church-owned land to housing developers.
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This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
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Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
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