Fort Wayne is okay. It’s not as bad as I thought it would be. It’s safe.
This is how two employees at a major corporation in Fort Wayne responded when asked about what they thought of the city. These employees were in their late twenties and recently moved to Fort Wayne to work at this company. One is from Boston, while the other is from Dayton, Ohio.
While these comments are not necessarily negative, they don’t exactly portray Fort Wayne as innovative, intriguing, or interesting in general.
So why does this matter?
Because these employees are contracted workers, meaning that their job is temporary and has no security. When asked if they planned on staying in Fort Wayne after their jobs ended, neither said they were even considering it. When young talent moves to a city, they bring with them new ideas and can help shape the character and identity of an area.
Everybody wants “millennials” – those born between 1980 and 2000- to live in their city. To its benefit, Fort Wayne has frequently appeared on lists ranking the “Best Places to Raise a Family.” But what about those who aren’t at that stage yet, or don’t want that lifestyle? My recent job searches for twenty-somethings yield temporary or part-time jobs with little prospect of climbing the ladder to real leadership positions. What incentive is that? The focus of this blog is to encourage discussion, or debate, about ways that would make Fort Wayne more appealing to a recent college graduate or young professional.
So, what are some ways Fort Wayne can reclaim innovative talent and its image?
-New industries that would be beneficial to the local community and employment of young people
-Highlight young entrepreneurs
-Adopt more environmentally sustainable routines, like making streets more biker-friendly, having more mass-transit options, more recycling, and urban gardening.
-Improve overall aesthetics – roads, parks, etc.
-More recreational activities.
These are among some of the topics that will be discussed in this blog. Ideally,
this blog will find both strengths and weaknesses of the city. Hopefully, there is potential for Fort Wayne to be more than just “okay.”
I like where you are going with your blog. A highlight that I found most amusing is your statement that recycling would help benefit Fort Wayne.
ReplyDeleteI have always thought this and just a recent doing Fort Wayne is now accepting plastics 1 - 7! Cheers to that. For a while Fort Wayne claimed to 'Go Green,' but at the same time only recycled plastics 1 & 2.
I look forward to reading more on yours and others' ideas to help move Fort Wayne forward in innovation and environmental friendliness.
Navistar is sending all of its jobs to Chicago, so my dad and most of his co-workers will be relocating. This is a step backwards in the reclamation of Fort Wayne.
ReplyDeleteI really like your idea for this blog! I think that fort wayne could really benefit from mass-transit operations.
ReplyDeleteI think you've got a great idea going here. Coming from Fort Wayne, Portland has shown me all of the things that Fort Wayne lacked. For example, venues for live music, accessible local produce and goods (anywhere you want, pretty much), better dietary options, and a plethora of outdoor activities not revolving around junk food and polluted rivers. It seems that by taking small steps, Fort Wayne could improve itself in these ways if only the effort was made. Can't wait to read more :)
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