Seattle Once Again Nation’s Fastest-Growing Big City; Population Exceeds 700,000

Seattle Times | Gene Balk | May 25

http://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/data/seattle-once-again-nations-fastest-growing-big-city-population-exceeds-700000/

“Seattle is back on top. For the second time this decade, we’re the fastest-growing big city in the country, according to my analysis of population data released today by the U.S. Census Bureau…From July 1, 2015, to July 1, 2016, Seattle had a net gain of nearly 21,000 people — 57 a day, on average. That pencils out to a 3.1 percent population increase for the one-year period.”

 

Microsoft President Brad Smith on Why Life Sciences Should Buy into The ‘Cascadia Innovation Corridor’

GeekWire | May 23 | Clare McGrane

https://www.geekwire.com/2017/microsoft-president-brad-smith-life-sciences-buy-cascadia-innovation-corridor/

“A life sciences conference isn’t the first place you’d expect to find Microsoft President and Chief Legal Officer Brad Smith. But that’s precisely where he was Tuesday morning, and he had an important message for the life sciences industry: if it wants to scale up, it should look to our neighbors to the north. Speaking at Life Science Innovation Northwest in downtown Seattle, Smith reiterated the points of the Cascadia Innovation Corridor initiative, a push for greater collaboration between Seattle and Vancouver, B.C., which are less than 150 miles apart.”

 

Seattle Ranks 11th Best City for Summer Jobs

KING 5 | Madelaine VanDerHeyden | May 23

http://www.king5.com/news/local/seattle/seattle-ranks-11th-best-city-for-summer-jobs/442173281

“Seattle is one of the best cities in the U.S. for summer employment opportunities. According to a new report by WalletHub, Seattle beat out major cities like Washington, D.C., Dallas, and Boston by placing 11th in a ranking of the 150 largest markets in the U.S. Analysts considered 21 key metrics in creating the rankings, including affordability, seasonal employment growth, and friendliness.  While Seattle placed 11th overall, it also held a Social and Environmental Responsibility rank of 3rd and a Youth Job Market rank of 32nd. The Social and Environmental Responsibility ranking looked at factors such as minimum wage values, average rates for one-bedroom apartments, access to public transportation, and levels of friendliness.”

 

Seattle Climbs but Austin Sprawls: The Myth of the Return to Cities

New York Times | Jed Kolko | May 22

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/05/22/upshot/seattle-climbs-but-austin-sprawls-the-myth-of-the-return-to-cities.html?_r=1

“Of the 51 metro areas with more than one million people, average neighborhood density rose in 10 and fell in 41, according to census population data and U.S. Postal Service counts of occupied housing units. That is, four-fifths of large metro areas have become more suburban since 2010, while only one-fifth have become more urban. Seattle urbanized the most: Faster growth in the city’s neighborhoods meant that average neighborhood density was 3 percent higher in 2016 than in 2010.”

 

New Study: Seattle is One of The Country’s Most Civically Engaged Cities, Divided By Race and Socioeconomic Status

GeekWire | Monica Nickelsburg | May 22

https://www.geekwire.com/2017/new-study-seattle-one-countrys-civically-engaged-cities-divided-race-socioeconomic-status/

“Seattle is having what City Club Executive Director Diane Douglas describes as a ‘pregnant moment.’

The city’s population is growing at a breakneck pace due, in part, to its booming technology industry…Plus the boom is pushing hot-button issues, like transportation and housing affordability, to the forefront of public discourse. Those are some of the factors that make Seattle one of the most civically engaged cities in the country.”