Want us in your city?

We, the staffers at 210 West Magazine are valuable people.

Not because of our writing skills, but most of the cities from whence we came, and more than a few in which we now live, want us.

We are…YOUNG PEOPLE!

Chief among the problems of cities, particularly in the northeast, is the graying of the populations. There is no cure for the common birthday. People might move into an apartment or a nursing home. Their children get older and leave the nest.

People are worried about “brain drain,” when young people leave town to go to college and they stay left, or leave town for a job that they can’t find there. Journalists are in a special bind. Shy of working for one of the few forms of media in our hometown, we all have to leave town at some point to ply our trade. Many towns (and many counties) only have one paper.

In cities across America, people in the corridors of power ask, “What can be done to keep our city growing and vibrant? What can be done to lure and keep young people here?”

We want something intellectually challenging. We want to go somewhere other than a multiplex on a date. Give us plays. Give us bands. Give us interesting lectures.

We want to meet people. Give us chances to meet other young people, be it at bars, parties or even in our apartment complexes or neighborhoods.

We want somewhere to ponder the mysteries of life. Give us libraries with late hours. Give us parks.

We want activity. Give us a vibrant downtown. Give us a nightlife that’s more than chain bars and restaurants. Give us unique places to eat, drink and gather.

We’re like anyone else. We want a place to live and enjoy life. We want a place where we won’t have to go into hock to live there (are you listening, New York, Boston and Silicon Valley?).

Getting young people to stay in town is a simple proposition. We all enjoyed college. If there was a way that the big city could continue those experiences for us, then we’d stay there in a minute.