{"id":407,"date":"2012-10-17T12:28:58","date_gmt":"2012-10-17T16:28:58","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.l-a-k-e.org\/blog\/2012\/10\/valdosta-3rd-poorest-city.html"},"modified":"2012-10-17T12:28:58","modified_gmt":"2012-10-17T16:28:58","slug":"valdosta-3rd-poorest-city","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.l-a-k-e.org\/blog\/2012\/10\/valdosta-3rd-poorest-city.html","title":{"rendered":"Valdosta: 3rd poorest city"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>\nValdosta #3! Followed by Albany #4! In poorest cities in the country.<br \/>\nWhat can we do about that?\n<\/p>\n<p>\nMichael B. Sauter, Alexander E.M. Hess and Samuel Weigley, 24\/7 Wall St.,<br \/>\nwrote for NBC News 14 October 2012,<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/bottomline.nbcnews.com\/_news\/2012\/10\/14\/14372928-americas-richest-and-poorest-cities\"><br \/>\nAmerica&#8217;s richest and poorest cities<\/a>,\n<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Valdosta_metropolitan_area\"><br \/>\n<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" style=\"float:right;border:none;\" class=\"at-xid-6a0120a58214e4970b0168ec06e6dc970c\" src=\"\/blog\/images\/6a0120a58214e4970b0168ec06e6dc970c-pi.png\"   width=\"125\" height=\"138\"  \/><\/a><br \/>\n3. Valdosta, Ga.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>\nMedian household income: $32,446\n<\/li>\n<li>\nPopulation: 140,599 (87th lowest)\n<\/li>\n<li>\nUnemployment rate: 9.2 percent(140th highest)\n<\/li>\n<li>\nPercent households below poverty line: 27.6 percent (ninth highest)\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>\nFrom 2007 to 2011, the unemployment rate in Valdosta increased by<br \/>\n130 percent, from 4 percent of workers to 9.2 percent. The number of<br \/>\nemployed workers declined by more than 6,000 during that time. Those<br \/>\njobs remaining often pay a lower salary. Last year, nearly 17<br \/>\npercent of the work force was employed in the generally low-paying<br \/>\nretail industry, the sixth highest percentage of all metro areas. In<br \/>\n2007, just 11.3 percent of the labor force worked in retail.<br \/>\nValdosta, however, has an improving and active housing market. Home<br \/>\nprices rose nearly 12 percent between 2007 and 2011. Despite these<br \/>\npositives, 14.4 percent of housing units were vacant last year,<br \/>\nhigher than the national vacancy rate of 13.1 percent. Also, 15.3<br \/>\npercent of homes were worth less than $50,000 versus 8.8 percent<br \/>\nnationwide.\n<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>\nThe study is actually for &#8220;U.S. metropolitan statistical areas, or MSAs&#8221;<br \/>\nand this population is not just for Valdosta, it&#8217;s for the<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Valdosta_metropolitan_area\"><br \/>\nValdosta MSA<\/a>,<br \/>\nwhich includes Brooks, Echols, Lanier, and Lowndes Counties.\n<\/p>\n<p>\nLook who&#8217;s next on the list:\n<\/p>\n<p><!--more--><\/p>\n<blockquote><p>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Albany,_Georgia_metropolitan_area\"><br \/>\n<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" style=\"float:right;border:none;\" class=\"at-xid-6a0120a58214e4970b017c3297a29f970b\" src=\"\/blog\/images\/6a0120a58214e4970b017c3297a29f970b-pi.png\"   width=\"125\" height=\"138\"  \/><\/a><br \/>\n4. Albany, Ga.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>\nMedian household income: $32,775\n<\/li>\n<li>\nPopulation: 161,617 (122nd lowest)\n<\/li>\n<li>\nUnemployment rate: 10.4% (77th highest)\n<\/li>\n<li>\nPct. households below poverty line: 28.4% (7th highest)\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>\nA stunning 11.8% of households in Albany earned less than $10,000 in<br \/>\n2011, the largest percentage of any metropolitan area in the nation.<br \/>\nAdditionally, 28.4% of Albany residents lived below the poverty<br \/>\nlevel, a considerable increase from the 21.5% who lived in poverty<br \/>\nin 2007. The area&#8217;s unemployment also jumped, doubling between 2007,<br \/>\nwhen it was just 5.2% of the labor force, to 2011, when it was<br \/>\n10.4%. Last year, the median home value in Albany was just $103,800,<br \/>\nor nearly $70,000 less than the U.S. median, while 18.9% of homes<br \/>\nwere worth less than $50,000.\n<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>\nYou know, Albany, the place<br \/>\n<a href=\"\/blog\/2011\/06\/w.html\"><br \/>\nthe Industrial Authority is so concerned about they hold special sessions<br \/>\nto keep projects secret from:<\/a><br \/>\nAlbany, only slightly less poor than Valdosta.<br \/>\nYep,<br \/>\n<a href=\"\/blog\/2011\/05\/minutes-online-vlcia-17-may-2011.html\"><br \/>\ncompeting with Albany is why VLCIA doesn&#8217;t want to publish its minutes:<\/a>\n<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>\n<a href=\"\/blog\/2011\/05\/minutes-online-vlcia-17-may-2011.html\"><br \/>\n<img decoding=\"async\" style=\"float:right;border:none;\" class=\"at-xid-6a0120a58214e4970b017c3297a2a4970b\" src=\"\/blog\/images\/6a0120a58214e4970b017c3297a2a4970b-pi.jpg\"    \/><\/a><br \/>\nSo if we have project Dinosaur, our constituencies and our citizens<br \/>\nwon&#8217;t know what project Dinosaur is, but our competitors, the<br \/>\nAlbanys and the Tiftons, they&#8217;ll definitely know.\n<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>\nHere&#8217;s an idea:<br \/>\nhow about if we set our sights higher than competing for the<br \/>\nbottom of the poverty list?<br \/>\n<a href=\"\/blog\/2012\/09\/industrial-authority-goes-solar-broadband-and-conversational.html\"><br \/>\n<img decoding=\"async\" style=\"float:right;border:none;\" class=\"at-xid-6a0120a58214e4970b017c3297a2aa970b\" src=\"\/blog\/images\/6a0120a58214e4970b017c3297a2aa970b-pi.jpg\"    \/><\/a><br \/>\nMaybe what VLCIA was scared of in Albany was Andrea Schruijer,<br \/>\nand now that<br \/>\n<a href=\"\/blog\/2011\/06\/vlcia-hires-andrea-schuijer-from-albany.html\"><br \/>\nthey&#8217;ve hired her over to be their own executive director<\/a>,<br \/>\nmaybe they can get over that phobia.<br \/>\nThere are some signs of change,<br \/>\nsuch as VLCIA finally realizing<br \/>\n<a href=\"\/blog\/2012\/09\/industrial-authority-goes-solar-broadband-and-conversational.html\"><br \/>\n<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" style=\"float:right;border:none;\" class=\"at-xid-6a0120a58214e4970b017c3297a2ac970b\" src=\"\/blog\/images\/6a0120a58214e4970b017c3297a2ac970b-pi.jpg\"   width=\"120\" height=\"88\"  \/><\/a><br \/>\n<a href=\"\/blog\/2012\/09\/industrial-authority-goes-solar-broadband-and-conversational.html\"><br \/>\nbusinesses need broadband Internet<br \/>\nand solar is good business<\/a>,<br \/>\nnot to mention at least trying to be more conversational<br \/>\nwith the rest of the community.\n<\/p>\n<p>\nThe MSA ranking said:\n<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>\nIn the poorest economies, there is a much higher proportion of<br \/>\nlow-end manufacturing and retail jobs.\n<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>\n<a href=\"\/blog\/2012\/04\/austin-solar-sunflowers.html\"><br \/>\n<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" style=\"float:right;border:none;\" class=\"at-xid-6a0120a58214e4970b01774463c3cb970d\" src=\"\/blog\/images\/6a0120a58214e4970b01774463c3cb970d-pi.jpg\"   width=\"134\" height=\"89\"  \/><\/a><br \/>\nSo let&#8217;s aim for better manufacturing and other jobs.<br \/>\nYou know, knowledge-based jobs, in businesses that <em>expect<\/em><br \/>\n<a href=\"\/blog\/2012\/09\/vz-4g-vs-att-dsl-lowndes-county-georgia-2012-09-08.html\"><br \/>\nreal broadband Internet<\/a><br \/>\nand think<br \/>\n<a href=\"\/blog\/2012\/04\/austin-solar-sunflowers.html\"><br \/>\nsolar is a good way to attract more business.<\/a><br \/>\nYeah, I know, we&#8217;re not Austin, Texas.<br \/>\nBut we&#8217;ll never be better than Albany, Georgia if we don&#8217;t<br \/>\nstart acting like a real MSA.\n<\/p>\n<p>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Dublin,_GA_%C2%B5SA\"><br \/>\n<img decoding=\"async\" style=\"float:right;border:none;\" class=\"at-xid-6a0120a58214e4970b017c3297a2b0970b\" src=\"\/blog\/images\/6a0120a58214e4970b017c3297a2b0970b-pi.png\"    \/><\/a><br \/>\nDublin, Georgia, which only has a<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Dublin,_GA_%C2%B5SA\"><br \/>\nmicropolitan statistical area<\/a>,<br \/>\ndidn&#8217;t<br \/>\n<a href=\"\/blog\/2010\/12\/mage-solar-cuts-ribbon-in-dublin-georgia.html\"><br \/>\nland MAGE SOLAR<\/a> by worrying about what Albany thinks.<br \/>\nThey went to a solar conference in Germany and came back with MAGE.<br \/>\nSaginaw, Michigan, didn&#8217;t<br \/>\n<a href=\"\/blog\/2010\/12\/suniva-went-to-solar-valley-michigan-which-has-a-plan.html\"><br \/>\nlure the second Suniva solar PV plant out of Georgia<\/a><br \/>\nby worrying about what Albany, Georgia or even Albany, New York thinks.<br \/>\nSaginaw did it by calling itself Solar Valley and trumpeting loudly<br \/>\nwhat they wanted.\n<\/p>\n<p>\nWhat do you want this election season, folks?<br \/>\nMore of the same that landed Valdosta MSA as #3 poorest in the country,<br \/>\neven lower than Albany?<br \/>\nOr some new conversations?\n<\/p>\n<p>\n-jsq\n<\/p>\n<p>\nPS: Owed to Tom H. Johnson Jr.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Valdosta #3! Followed by Albany #4! In poorest cities in the country. What can we do about that? Michael B. Sauter, Alexander E.M. Hess and Samuel Weigley, 24\/7 Wall St., wrote for NBC News 14 October 2012, America&#8217;s richest and poorest cities, 3. Valdosta, Ga. Median household income: $32,446 Population: 140,599 (87th lowest) Unemployment rate: [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[97,40,263,14,49,8,18,558,2,19,132,88,267,21,22,23,24,1569,3,54,178],"tags":[8736,205,8717,271,8704,8721,272,8701,8708,8781,8699,8709,8741,8702,12,7,8734,8757,244,245,8711,8712,1570,8713,1571,8714,8835,8700,6,8726,8749],"class_list":["post-407","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-activism","category-community","category-dublin-ga","category-economy","category-elections","category-georgia","category-georgia-power","category-germany","category-government","category-history","category-internet-access-speed","category-lowndes-county-commission","category-mage-solar","category-planning","category-politics","category-renewable-energy","category-solar","category-suniva","category-transparency","category-valdosta-city-council","category-vlcia","tag-activism","tag-albany","tag-community","tag-dublin","tag-economy","tag-elections","tag-ga","tag-georgia","tag-georgia-power","tag-germany","tag-government","tag-history","tag-internet-access-speed","tag-lake","tag-lowndes-area-knowledge-exchange","tag-lowndes-county","tag-lowndes-county-commission","tag-mage-solar","tag-metropolitan-statistical-area","tag-msa","tag-planning","tag-politics","tag-poorest","tag-renewable-energy","tag-retail","tag-solar","tag-suniva","tag-transparency","tag-valdosta","tag-valdosta-city-council","tag-vlcia"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.l-a-k-e.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/407","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.l-a-k-e.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.l-a-k-e.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.l-a-k-e.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.l-a-k-e.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=407"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"http:\/\/www.l-a-k-e.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/407\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.l-a-k-e.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=407"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.l-a-k-e.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=407"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.l-a-k-e.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=407"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}