Welcome to the site. Hope you continue to contribute. In two paragraphs you have made our basic case. Attracting mobile talent is what matters most and they are looking for quality of place in addition to economic opportunity. Vibrant central cities are essential!

It is very frustrating that neoliberalism has choked urban policy in Michigan; jobs and taxes are only one part of the equation. The refusal to look at cultural development, entertainment, and undefinable-but-important atmosphere – all are impacting the attraction of talent to MI. Natives are usually nice but – god this sounds terrible – but lack worldiness. It’s so weird to go to a bar and everyone has lived in the same 40 mile square radius their entire life. An anecdote: last spring, I was in restaurant in Milwaukee and somehow ended up chatting with a man and his wife who were there with their infant son. He’s a CPA, originally from Chicago, and mentioned that he had been offered jobs in both Muskegon County and Milwaukee. He and his wife visited both places and said the clear winner was Milwaukee due to the cultural attractions, people, and vibe despite having nearly similar natural resources and MKE’s higher cost of living.