Upstate NY, can it be turned around?

[Evergrey]

Originally Posted by kznyc2k

"You drive from Schenectady over to Niagara Falls, you see an upstate economy that is devastated," Spitzer said in 2006. "It looks like Appalachia."

well, disgraced former governor Spitzer... a good chunk of Upstate actually is Appalachia... and the rest isn't too far away... but whatever... Appalachia is that one region/culture that everybody is allowed to make uninformed jokes/slander about...

[Ex-Ithacan]

^^ Good article kz, thanks for posting it.

[Ex-Ithacan]

Not a fun article for upstate



Census: NYC grows as Upstate cities shrink


Ithaca one of few to grow
By Michael Hill • The Associated Press • July 10, 2008


ALBANY — The Big Apple is getting bigger as the largest cities in Upstate New York continue to lose more people, according census estimates released Thursday.


New York City grew by 23,960 people in the 12 months ending July 2007 for a population of 8.27 million, according to the yearly estimates from the U.S. Census. The city has been steadily growing for years and remains a magnet for immigrants and young people.

Population growth in New York has been centered for years in the metropolitan area. Some suburban villages north of the city in the Hudson Valley were among the fastest growing in the state over the 12 months, including Wurtsboro (7.9 percent), the Hasidic enclave of Kiryas Joel (5.2 percent) and Wappingers Falls (4.8 percent).

The story was different around much of Upstate New York, where the largest cities showed slight losses in the annual estimate. Buffalo's population of 272,632 was down 0.93 percent over the year; Rochester, at 206,759, was down 0.49 percent; Syracuse, 139,079, down 0.78 percent; Albany, 94,172, down 0.46 percent, according to the estimates.

The numbers reflect a long-term trend of population losses in upstate areas as manufacturing jobs dry up and people settle in the South and the West. California and Texas each had five cities among the 25 fastest-growing cities in the census estimates released today.

Politicians in New York are particularly concerned about the exodus of young people just out of college, the so-called “brain drain.”

Among the Upstate cities that grew over the year were Saratoga Springs (up 0.68 percent), Plattsburgh (0.16 percent) and Ithaca (0.14 percent).

Census estimates released earlier this year showed the state's population nudged up over the period by 15,741 to 19.3 million people.

[JManc]

upstate's decline is beginning to level off and the capital region has even had positive growth but i think the cities will continue to shrink for the foreseeable future.

[kznyc2k]

^ And yet Buffalo lost more people in the past six years than they did in the previous ten. Not a good sign.

And even though the Capital Region gained, it still worries me to see Albany lose population. Knowing how many immigrants from NYC are moving there I don't see how the numbers could be down.

[JManc]

^ they're opting for places like colonie, guilderland, clifton park, etc instead.

[kznyc2k]

Colonie, Guilderland and Bethlehem yes. Clifton Park though counts towards Saratoga's stats.

And as for my earlier comment, it still saddens me to know that despite the recent influx of immigrants, Albany still can't maintain its previous figures. The fact that it fell below 100,000 residents still hurts even though it happened what feels like forever ago.

[Ex-Ithacan]

A fairly good news story about Binghamton:

http://news10now.com/content/top_sto...w/Default.aspx

[boden]

Watertown seems to be in great shape as does the much smaller, but delightful town of Canton. Little Clayton is also doing well.

[JManc]

watertown is all about fort drum and without fort drum there is no watertown. very few places in upstate are in 'great shape' and most are happy just to see population decline slow down at this point. very sad.

[Ex-Ithacan]

Bad news for Owego/Binghamton :

From the Ithaca Journal


Lockheed plant in Owego to cut 225 jobs
By My-Ly Nguyen • mnguyen@gannett.com • Staff Writer • April 28, 2009

OWEGO - Lockheed Martin told its employees Monday it plans to cut about 225 jobs soon with further job reductions likely in the coming months as the Defense Department budget is finalized.

The company had been extensively reviewing its staffing needs since Defense Secretary Robert Gates announced earlier this month a budget plan that calls for an end to the $13 billion VH-71 presidential helicopter program and additional programs affecting Lockheed and other defense contractors.

Lockheed's systems integration plant in Owego has about 4,000 employees, including roughly 800 who work on the presidential helicopter program.

The company is still putting names to the numbers, spokesman Troy Scully said. The majority of the Owego plant's employees live in Broome or Tioga counties.

Affected employees will be told in mid-May and be eligible for severance benefits and other employment assistance, President MarillynHewson said in an internal memo to employees. The workers could have opportunities in other Lockheed businesses.

"The impact of this work- force reduction is not limited to any one program and will affect the entire enterprise, in both direct and indirect positions," Hewson said.

Hewson cited these factors in the company's decision:

* Uncertainty around the fiscal 2010 budget.

* Gates' recommendation to cancel VH-71 and end acquisition of the Air Force Combat Search-and-Rescue, or CSAR-X, aircraft. Lockheed won VH-71 in 2005. It has been bidding on CSAR-X.

* Delays in planned work for postal customers, as well as cancellations and delays to other programs.

Lockheed has tried to reduce the need for job losses by "aggressively pursuing work-share" at other Lockheed sites and reducing discretionary costs, Hewson said.

"These efforts have mitigated the need for more significant reductions at this time," she said.

Lockheed's goal is to match as many of the laid-off workers as possible with other positions within the company, Scully said.

Opportunities to grow business include work on ground vehicles, evidenced by Lockheed's recent win of the Joint Light Tactical Vehicle, or JLTV, technology development contract, Hewson said.

The state Labor Department previously warned that the local labor market could suffer a seriously detrimental impact if Lockheed laid off or relocated a significant number of employees.

Politicians also have said job losses would be devastating to the community in terms of potential lost sales tax revenue if those workers could not find similar-paying jobs in the region.

The president of the Greater Binghamton Association of Realtors has said the real estate impact would be mostly on homes priced at more than $200,000, a small but lucrative part of the market.

Lockheed jobs are considered by the Labor Department to be part of the computer and electronic product manufacturing industry, which had an average annual salary of $71,800 locally in 2007, the most recent year wage data is available.

The region does not have enough companies with job openings to absorb mass layoffs at Lockheed, a Labor Department senior economist has said.

At least one defense contractor could be interested in picking up some of Lockheed's laid-off workers.

Gentex Corp. "may have a need for skilled folks who might be affected by a layoff" at Lockheed, corporate recruiter Patrick Stapleton said Monday. He did not immediately respond to a request for more details.

It's not uncommon for companies to seek Lockheed's talent, considered tops in the industry, Scully said.

Gentex, which is based in Simpson, Pa., near Carbondale in Lackawanna County, designs and manufactures products that allow wearers to successfully perform their duties while tolerating high G-forces and temperatures, ballistic threats, crashes, ejections, oxygen deprivation and exposure to chemical and biological agents. The products include pilot and ground troop ballistic helmets, respiratory equipment and chemical-protective garments.

A spokesman from the office of U.S. Rep. Maurice Hinchey, D-Hurley, did not immediately respond to a request for comment about the Lockheed job cuts.

U.S. Rep. Michael Arcuri, D-Utica, said, "Lockheed's announcement is another painful reminder that our economy is in trouble and requires immediate action."

Arcuri said he pledges to work with federal, state and local officials, as well as Lockheed employees, to ensure that those affected will be able to quickly regain employment.

"I will continue fighting on behalf of local companies like Lockheed Martin in Congress to create an environment for future job growth and avoid any future layoffs," he said.

Hinchey and Arcuri have been vocal about their efforts in Congress to protect the presidential helicopter project and toured Lockheed's VH-71 production site in Owego in late March.

[Northern Light]

As someone familiar with upstate NY, but actually from Ontario, I thought I might share a few observations.

First, there is much to recommend about Update NY and other so-called rust-belt areas generally speaking, on the U.S. side of the Great Lakes.

Obviously an abundance of fresh water, and the associated coastal recreation opportunities from fishing to boating to swimming are an incredible natural asset; as is access to comparatively cheap hydro power, by world standards.

This type of benefit once drove the development of Cities like Buffalo, and Detroit.

In the process it also left a legacy of wonderful downtown heritage buildings and a tremendous amount of road and rail transportation infrastructure.

The reasons people have left are myriad and could be pages; but an unfairly short version would be:

-General Economic downturn largely associated with the catastrophic collapse the U.S. steel industry in the 1970's (and its subsequent negative spin-offs)

-Heavy U.S. (federal) investment in the sunbelt making it more attractive to invest/live in

- The renaissance of Chicago and New York City and the emergence of Toronto which have consolidated many of the jobs and much of the money from the former region.

- At a purely practical level, the above has led to dis-investment, both public and private in many areas which creates a bit of spiral effect downwards. (ie. you cut services, snow removal or parks programs or transit to deal with the economic downturn, people who really loved those programs move away, creating a further decline in real estate values and tax revenues, which in turn leads to a tax hike in an effort to staunch the bleeding; but that drives a few more businesses under, so there are fewer jobs and so on and so on)

****

Having provided my version of history.....

A few thoughts on what can and should be done to turn around these areas, which are full of great urban treasure if only new life were breathed on them...

- Before anything else, fix U.S. customs. As someone living across the border, I can tell you that I know so many Canadians who used to cross to shop or to see an NFL game etc. etc.; but as the U.S. now requires passports and border lines get longer, the idea of the casual, let's cross the border and go see a game just doesn't happen (or at least as often)
Of course borders need good security, but its not in any areas economic interest to make it difficult for tourists or business people to visit.

- Speaking of border hopping, when I was very young, Ontario had a legal drinking age of 21, and New York State was 18. Today, Ontario is 18 and NYS is 21; that rather has the effect that anyone under 21 looking for a good time goes north, instead of the way round, which it used to be.

- My second thought would be the greatest loss of people is occurring, I believe, among the young. There is a real problem where formerly vibrant urban communities are neglected. Not in the U.S. or Canada or anywhere else are suburbs typically seen as the exciting new frontier by the young.
The teens/college kids first leaving home, tend to want night clubs, late-night movies, concerts etc.; and they tend to want to be able to reach those places without the use of a car. This is a big selling feature of Chicago, NYC, or Toronto. In any of those Cities there is lots to do; and its not difficult to get around by walking or by transit.

- Not to pick on Buffalo, but because I am most familiar with it, I will use the example of transit. If I visited by any means other than car (ie. plane or train) or was a college kid living w/o a car, how would I get around? I find it peculiar that Buffalo has a nice 'metro rail'/LRT system, but it doesn't actually connect to the University, or to the airport, or much else outside th core. It also doesn't seem to run on Sunday nights at all.

- I would also note that there are many people in Toronto and NYC and Chicago who go carless, so if they were to visit Buffalo, they might well want to take a train. But with infrequent service (or none at all); that option doesn't exist. Seems like such a shame, there's a great rail station in Buffalo, it just needs fixing (and to be used).

- One other thought, why do so many Cities leave so many vacant houses/abandoned building standing? I just can't imagine that here, not that it never happens, but its rare. It strike me that areas with too much abandonment/rot contaminate the good aspects of surround areas.
I noticed Flint, Michigan has actually adopted a plan to shrink and to demolish whole neighbourhoods and return them to farms or conservation areas/parks. Seems eminently wise rather than leaving semi-ghost towns which create a bad urban condition, both real and perceived.

In any event, I want to make sure everyone knows that I'm not meaning to pick on Upstate NY at all, I quite like it! I just wonder as an outsider, watching it suffer why so much that is good is being allowed to struggle.

[Ex-Ithacan]

^ Some good points there.

Here's a small step toward helping upstate, from the Ithaca Journal:

CU joins effort to keep young professionals in area
By G. Jeffrey Aaron • jgaaron@gannett.com • Staff writer • July 22, 2009


ELMIRA - Pipeline 4 Progress, an Elmira-based regional think tank, has partnered with two Cornell University groups to launch an initiative aimed at recruiting and retaining young, bright minds for the region's work force.

The three partners - Cornell Cooperative Extension of Chemung County, Pipeline 4 Progress and the Community Rural Development Institute - mapped out their strategy for a group of about 40 representatives from various businesses; human services, economic and work force development agencies; local government and educational institutions.

The next step, Heidi Mouillesseaux-Kunzman, of the Community Rural Development Institute said, is establishing a 10- to 15-member team from those who attended the session to fine-tune the overall strategy to the unique needs of Elmira and the surrounding area. A similar meeting has already been held in Olean, which lies at the eastern edge of Pipeline 4 Progress' 13-county district.

The initiative is funded by a $450,000 grant from the U.S. Commerce Department's Economic Development Administration - $150,000 a year for three years.

The partners are looking to utilize Cornell's economic and community development research to create pilot programs in Elmira and Olean that will address the so-called brain drain.

The first year of the program will focus on establishing the working group and creating relationships with appropriate agencies and businesses to establish the necessary training. Most of the program details will come from the local groups in each city. Cornell will provide research and technical assistance.

According to Pipeline 4 Progress, there are about 20 colleges and universities in the region that attract almost 92,000 students each year.

"If we can retain even a small percentage of that number, it would bring newer energy to the region," said Sean Lukasik, Pipeline's project coordinator. "We want to establish a pilot program connecting students to the work force to let them know about the employment opportunities in our region."

Lukasik said his group made its initial contact with Cornell in early 2007 and began collaborating on how the Ivy League university could play a role in helping Pipeline 4 Progress develop an action plan for making the area more attractive to recent college graduates looking to begin their careers.

"Cornell wrote the actual plan," he said. "They got it down on paper and secured the funding from the Economic Development Administration."

Much of the groundwork of identifying existing community and economic developers in the Elmira area has already been completed, said Mouillesseaux-Kunzman, but the agencies need to be better coordinated.

"There are a lot of agencies here, but they are not as effective as they could be," she said. "All of the pieces are out there, but they need to improve their coordination to increase their ability to work together."



Unfortunately, right below that article was this one.


Hardinge Inc. to lay off 50 employees
Horseheads facility: Weak market to blame
By G. Jeffrey Aaron • jgaaron@gannett.com • Staff Writer • July 22, 2009

Citing a continuing softness in the marketplace, Hardinge Inc. is laying off 50 workers from the machine tooler's facility in Horseheads.

The latest work force cuts, announced by the company Tuesday, reduces the company's North American headcount to around 440 employees, compared to the approximately 700 people who worked at Hardinge a year ago.

"The U.S. machine tool industry is still down 70 to 75 percent and Europe is worse than that, down 80 to 85 percent," said Richard Simons, Hardinge's president and CEO. "Asia is the only area with promise, but two out of the three areas we sell to are down."

Simons also said the company's customers and competitors expect the downturn to last for the next few quarters.

As a cost savings move, Hardinge, in early May, furloughed 81 of its production workers for 10 weeks. Those workers returned to work on Monday, Simons said. But Hardinge looked at its staffing levels, the state of the machine tool market, and decided on the layoffs, which affected all of the company's departments in its Horseheads plant.

In a prepared statement, Hardinge said the difficult staffing decisions made over the past 13 months have enabled it to maintain a solid financial footing despite the continuation of unfavorable business conditions. As of June 30, the company said, Hardinge is in a positive net cash position reflecting a consolidated cash balance of $16.5 million, compared to total debt of $12.2 million.

Hardinge also announced its second-quarter earnings figures will be released in early August. Almost a year ago, Hardinge reported second-quarter 2008 net sales of $96.6 million and net income of $450,000. The income gained reversed a trend set during the two previous quarters, when the company reported net income losses totaling about $800,000.

Almost three months ago, however, Hardinge reported first quarter 2009 net sales of $52.1 million, down 39 percent from the same quarter last year, and a net loss of $5.4 million.

[(four 0 four)]

On my visits back home it seems as if the smaller towns around Rochester are growing quite steadily. I wonder if the region as a whole has gained or lost population.
I (maybe ) can understand someone's reluctance to living in a mid-sized city where you may have several of the drawbacks to city living without enough of the benefits a large city offers.

[bpg88]

Originally Posted by kznyc2k

Colonie, Guilderland and Bethlehem yes. Clifton Park though counts towards Saratoga's stats.

And as for my earlier comment, it still saddens me to know that despite the recent influx of immigrants, Albany still can't maintain its previous figures. The fact that it fell below 100,000 residents still hurts even though it happened what feels like forever ago.

There has been very little new residential construction in the City of Albany. At the same time, many buildings are vacant due to years of neglect (or more recently, bank foreclosure) and are either too costly to fix or the subject of speculation by downstate investors. It's hard to grow when you have nowhere to put the people, aside from having larger families in overcrowded spaces. I do suspect that the Latino community will be around 10% in 2010, up from 5% in the prior census. It's probably enough to balance out the population loss, but not much more.

[Ex-Ithacan]

Originally Posted by bpg88

There has been very little new residential construction in the City of Albany. At the same time, many buildings are vacant due to years of neglect (or more recently, bank foreclosure) and are either too costly to fix or the subject of speculation by downstate investors. It's hard to grow when you have nowhere to put the people, aside from having larger families in overcrowded spaces. I do suspect that the Latino community will be around 10% in 2010, up from 5% in the prior census. It's probably enough to balance out the population loss, but not much more.

I have a feeling there are quite a few cities in NY and PA that have Hispanics to thank for a slow down of pop decline, and maybe even reversal.

[JManc]

no, not very much hispanic immigration into upstate. good luck trying to find a burrito in utica.

[Ex-Ithacan]

While I don't think this is a be all, end all cure for the ailing upstate economy, it could be a hopeful step in the right direction. (from the Ithaca Journal)




Paterson says Cornell energy research will spur jobs
Governor touts fuel-cell and battery research at Cornell
By Raymond Drumsta • rdrumsta@gannett.com • Staff Writer • August 26, 2009

ITHACA -- Cornell University's fuel cell and battery research will help jump-start New York's economy, according to Gov. David Paterson.

Paterson met with local politicians, businessmen and educators in a closed-door conference at Cornell on Tuesday to flesh out details of how $19 million in federal and state grant money will be utilized, a spokesman for the governor said. The U.S. Department of Energy recently named Cornell one of five Energy Frontier Research Centers in the state, according to Paterson's office.

"This is the way that New York will bring its economy back in the next few years," Paterson said after the meeting.

As part of Paterson's plan to match federal stimulus money to boost the state's economy via innovations in energy, environmental protection and health care, the energy research centers will draw scientists to research projects featuring solar energy, energy storage and superconductors, Paterson's office said. As with the other energy research centers, New York provided $2 million in matching funds for Cornell, his spokesmen said.

The $19 million is over five years.

The money will fund the construction of labs in the state, and one of the immediate effects of that is job creation, Paterson said. Like the Erie Canal, which made a New York an economic power, this will "restore our economy of years to come," Paterson said.

"This is kind of the new age in the structure of research and development," Paterson said. A Paterson spokesperson said the governor is promoting the plans in other parts of the state, and that he met with people here who will make them a reality.

One of those people was Paul Mutolo, director of external partnerships for the Cornell center, who answered Paterson's questions about Cornell's research. Mutolo said he was enthusiastic about the plans.

"We're going to generate jobs from this," he said firmly.

As they have in the past, companies may be attracted by Cornell's resources and talent pool, said Graham Kerslick, associate director of the Cornell energy research center.

"Research funding often initiates start-up companies," Kerslick said. Some of those companies, he added, might be started locally by Cornell graduates.

Mutolo explained that batteries are needed to store power generated by clean but intermittent sources like wind for use in the electrical grid. "A battery enables that power to be continuous," he said.

"The idea behind the research is to make fuel cells viable for vehicles," he said.

Cornell President David Skorton, state Assemblywoman Barbara Lifton, D-125th Dist., Tompkins County Legislature Chairman Michael Koplinka-Loehr, D-Town of Ithaca, and Ithaca Mayor Carolyn Peterson attended the meeting.

[Ex-Ithacan]

I know this is about the whole state, but I think it points to how the state might be able to save itself. Embrace the immigrants, but ya gotta get the taxes lower. Not sure the latter can be done.
From the Ithaca Journal:

Report: New York losing population to other states
Income declines as well
By Joseph Spector •Albany Bureau • October 26, 2009, 8:15 pm


ALBANY -- New York suffered the largest loss of residents to other states in the nation from 2000 to 2008, with more than 1.5 million people leaving, a report Monday found.

The report, commissioned by the conservative Empire Center for New York State Policy, found 8 percent of New York's population at the start of the decade has left to other states. Thirty percent of them moved to Florida; another third moved to neighboring New Jersey, Connecticut and Pennsylvania.

The shift also resulted in a 13 percent drop in the average incomes of New Yorkers, as households with higher incomes left the state, the report found. The report suggested the reason for the migration is the state's high taxes and high cost of living.

The majority of the people who left came from New York City, which lost 1.1 million people to other states and other places in New York.

While most left the state, some moved north within New York. Dutchess, Orange and Ulster counties, for example, had population increases, as did the Albany area.

Wendell Cox, an Illinois-based researcher who led the study, said New York, particularly in the New York City area, had seen home prices over the last decade greatly outpace incomes compared to other states. Also, New York is among the highest taxed states in the country, he said.

But he said it also has to do with people moving to warm-weather states at a greater rate.

"The issues of cost and taxation are likely to be driving issues," he said. "But no matter what you do, I don't anticipate you'll grow as fast as Arizona."

In upstate New York, which has some counties that have had the highest property taxes to home values in the country, the migration out of the state was at a slower rate, the report found.

Overall, the state's population grew by 2.7 percent between 2000 and 2008, despite the number of people who left. The report said the primary reason was an influx of 876,969 immigrants, who made up 22 percent of the state's population in 2008, compared to 17 percent in 1995.

Still, New York's population growth rate was slower than most of the nation, ranking it 41 out of 50 states from 2000 to 2008.

[NYRY85]

Originally Posted by JMancuso

no, not very much hispanic immigration into upstate. good luck trying to find a burrito in utica.

False.

http://www.burritojonz.com/