| College towns do OK in recession |
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USA Today June 25, 2010
For many American cities, the decade after 2000 played out in two starkly different scenes: Years of euphoric growth and prosperity followed by a crushing reversal.
For others, there was no heady boom — but no dramatic downturn either.
A USA TODAY analysis reveals two categories of cities that have weathered the recession and housing market meltdown better than many boomtowns: College towns and state capitals.
In some cases, these cities have grown even faster during the recession than before.
In smaller cities in particular, anchor institutions such as universities and governments have provided a buffer against economic whiplash. Often the main employers in the city and metropolitan area, these segments are less affected by economic fluctuations.
College towns and state capitals "are a refuge from the boom and bust of the private market," says Robert Lang, urban sociologist at the University of Nevada Las Vegas. "State capitals are where the action is because they developed a white-collar service economy around government."
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