Is St. Louis getting cool again?

Is it me? or is St. Louis getting cool again? For a long time, I wondered where are the cool people in St. Louis? I mean don't get me wrong, I love our stability. I love our midwestern values. I love that the more things change, the more they stay the same in the big things. But I like change. I like fun. I like fun people. And for a long time, I couldn't find the fun people. At least, the big people that can change a city. The big movers and shakers. Our big moves and shakers were, well, dull. The movers and shakers we had we stable...that's good. That's why our housing market isn't as bad as other places. But I felt we were standing in place. I always said if I ran the city...I'd do...but of course, I didn't do anything either.

But now things are changing...improving...getting cooler...or cool again. I mean we were once really cool. Jazz got a lot of cool right from St. Louis. Before Chicago, we were the place to be in the midwest. But we lost it somewhere along the way.

Former Mayor Clarence Harmon, I have to give you a lot of credit. I don't know why or what you did, but after you came into office, city housing sales starting picking up again. Before 1997, the city wasn't selling. But after he came into, office, our buyers were flocking back to the city. The city was cool again. Young people wanted to buy their again. They appreciated the value of the city. They loved the gingerbread, the brick, the charm, the hardwood floors, the parks.

Now I know the schools still stink. Trust me I'm a product of the city schools and it's taken me a long time to learn to say Highway 44 right and I still can't quite get Sophomore pronounced correctly...which is really bad since my daughter is a southmore...I mean 10th grader...

But still the city starting turning after Mayor Harmon took office and Mayor Slay is surging it ahead onward and upward. We have cool nights on the levee...fireworks on Friday nights without it even being the 4th of July. I love that...fireworks just for me without 500,000 of my closest friends. We cool lofts and young and old that want to live downtown...what's that all about? Never 10 years ago. Too risky! Now risk is good again. We have young people and singles parties. WE have great downtown restaurants. We have the very cool St. Louis City Museum.

St. Louis is coming back. Watch out Chicago...Maybe we'll take you on again...unless it's the Cubs year. But come on, the Cubs? winning the whole thing...that would be the miracle my Pastor has been long, long praying for.

But either way, I'm excited to see all the fun stuff happening in and around St. Louis. Cool people, keep it up!

PS Jobs are up...which will definitely boost the local economy (micro economics) which will help the suffering housing market. Stay tuned! Take heart Sellers!

Anne

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A Manpower Employment Outlook Survey predicts a strong job market for St. Louis during the fourth quarter of 2007.
From October to December, only 3 percent of companies interviewed plan to reduce their payrolls while 28 percent plan to hire more employees. The remaining 69 percent of companies expect to maintain their current staff levels.

St. Louis companies' planned staff reduction levels are far below the Missouri average of 9 percent of companies who expect to reduce their payrolls. Statewide, 30 percent of employers expect to increase the number of employees

For the coming quarter, job prospects appear best in non-durable goods manufacturing, transportation/public utilities, wholesale/retail trade, finance/insurance/real estate, services and public administration. Employers in construction plan to reduce staffing levels, while hiring in education is expected to remain unchanged.