Jim Russell

Percentage change in population, by classification status, 1980 to 2020: "What is especially striking is that population gains in nonmetro-to-metro transition counties actually exceeded endogenous growth in continuously defined metro counties for each decade between 1980 & 2010"

Can Texas Sustain Its Growth? Texas’ post-pandemic boom is reshaping its economy & setting the stage for the next era of growth trerc.tamu.edu/article/can-te…

"Even after the pandemic ended & bars & restaurants reopened, servers in a depressed San Francisco were making a lot less than they had been, which in turn prompted a flight of talent to other markets"

“Gen Z has been wiped off the map from COVID. I haven’t given up on them as a generation, but in terms of hospitality, we need to write them off”

With the large birth cohort of 2007, the urban experience is about to change, dramatically: "Beyond the decrease in Gen Z population is the puzzle of catering to a generation detached from the alcohol-centric culture"

"San Francisco County now has the 2nd-lowest share of people under the age of 30 among the 150 largest counties in the US, at about 30%. From 2013 to 2023, the share of San Franciscans between the ages of 22 & 29 decreased from 16% to 13% — about 25,000 residents"

"Parallel threats have sent San Francisco’s nightlife into a tailspin: The city is aging, making its economy increasingly dependent on older people. And 20-somethings aren’t filling the gap" sfchronicle.com/sf/article/agi…

AI demand drives up electricity supply costs in largest US market to record high: "Grid operator PJM, which covers 13 states & DC, said on Tuesday it procured energy supplies for $329.17 per megawatt day, a 22% increase compared with the previous year" ft.com/content/f1bcd6…

Multinationals turn to India’s back offices for AI engineers ft.com/content/a46ee9…

Japan takes step towards first post-Fukushima nuclear energy reactor ft.com/content/e351bf…

"Snyder shot down the possibility of a mass move to the East Coast. Tennessee locations are possible, she explained, because the company’s prospective locations in the state are within a close enough radius to its Texas processing facility"

In-N-Out’s billionaire boss leaving California: ‘Doing business is not easy here’ sfchronicle.com/california/art…

Not an exodus: "A 1/4 of Atlanta’s office space sits empty, well above the national average. High-profile projects like Microsoft’s planned Westside campus are on hold indefinitely. Apartment vacancies are also rising, especially among luxury units" credaily.com/newsletters/po…

Southwest Virginia at the crossroads: Trump's ARC cuts threaten region's economic lifeline cardinalnews.org/2025/07/22/sou…

One of the most notable pandemic shifts in migration patterns is the collapse of the churn between San Francisco & NYC. It's mostly one-way now, out of the Bay Area.

"For a town like Canton, the loss of its jobs is also a loss of its identity. Many of the dozens of former mill workers who were interviewed said that losing the factory felt like a family death"

"The first thing the mill workers noticed on what they later deemed 'Black Monday' was the series of dark SUVs pulling up near the paper mill, at the heart of Canton, NC" nytimes.com/2025/07/21/us/…

"The pandemic prompted a surge in migration of remote workers to Texas, but the start of this trend actually preceded the pandemic. The confluence of factors making Texas a leading destination for migrants made it especially appealing for remote workers" trerc.tamu.edu/article/can-te…

The next round of failure? "Can Legacy Cities Survive the 'Meds & Eds' Downturn?" open.substack.com/pub/futureofwh…

From Ben Schulman, "Pittsburgh, & the Magic of Failure, Revisited" differentlandscapes.substack.com/p/pittsburgh-a…

Weak tea: “When President Trump slapped tariffs on nations across the globe, many economists feared the economy would flatten. That didn’t happen—& now businesses & consumers are regaining their swagger” wsj.com/economy/the-u-…