posted by Mike Madison at 8:43 PM /
Money magazine recently released its annual "top 100 towns" in America. Mt. Lebanon, nice though it is, didn't make the cut. Want to know more? Here's Lebo's fact sheet, where Lebo stats are rated against the "best places" average. What hurts? Negative job growth. Terrible diversity index. High property taxes relative to property value. Lousy air quality.
26 Comments:
On a $200K assessed house with a family earning $100K, they are paying roughly $1000 per month on taxes (to county/state).
In other areas such as Florida, that number would be $250 per month.
That alone will never allow Mt Lebanon to be part of any list.
Ya, but we've got a ton of bars to choose from within 15 miles!
The fact that no local town made the Top 100 is more an indictment against Western PA in general. The list is skewed towards economic opportunities (nothing wrong with that I guess); plenty of places have poor air quality, and "diversity" is usually lower in towns that don't include a college or university. I've always said that Western PA is a great place to live... as long as you have a job.
Great point JD. Jobs is the number one factor in making any city livable.
The tax system here (and we have had many posts regarding that) is flawed. We are not a business friendly place. If we want more jobs or more growth, then figure out how to get the businesses here. It has baffled me that a place like Pittsburgh with the likes of Pitt, CMU, RMU, and many other good colleges, continues to be overlooked by major corporations as a place to do business. Sure, Google is moving 500 jobs here (already started I guess), but who else, what company is next?
The focus of people from Rendell down to Onorato and Ravensthal should be on what it takes to get companies to move back to Pennsylvania in general and to Pittsburgh more specifically.
Having five months of winter cant be the only thing keeping these companies away, can it?
*CitizenA*
CitizenA -
Some colleagues of mine and I working on this problem. I keep news of our progress at Pittsblog (and later posts tagged "manifesto" and/or "diaspora").
Mike
Anon 8:45
Please factor in the $20,000 per year that you'll pay for each of your kids to go to a private elementary, middle and high school in Florida.
In general, companies are not coming to Pittsburgh unless the state and/or local government hand out tax breaks. This defeats the purpose of economic development for growing the tax base.
How do we change that? Here in Western PA the answer to the shrinking tax base has been to increase taxes to make up for the lower number of taxpayers. This is why the region is in a death spiral - low (no) growth and increasing taxes will doom any region. Maybe it is time they tried something different?
I do not have the answer, but I have a few ideas, as do the candidates running for Mt. Lebo commissioner and the candidate I am supporting for Mayor of Pittsburgh (Mark DeSantis). The plan our leaders here have been following up to this point has been a disaster. It is time people, the voters particularly, open up to new ideas and new thinking around sustainable economic development here in Western PA.
Clean tech is one area that we should be focusing on. We have the assets - the universities and engineering and entrepreneurial talent to pull it off. Investments in clean tech will create new and lasting jobs in the region. If Pittsburgh fails to get moving it will be yet another industry where we are a follower rather a leader, and therefore another wasted opportunity.
Schultz, great idea on becoming the hub of clean tech. Even the Republicans among us would support the job growth that a focus like that would bring. We have the technical know-how or at least the educational institutions to bring that sort of idea to the forefront.
The reason it takes tax breaks to attract businesses here is because it costs less for companies to locate elsewhere without them. That is why it is such a hard thing to criticize some of the TIFs or other enterprise tax breaks that are given to corporations. If we dont give the tax breaks the chances are they will locate elsewhere so they can make better profits. If we do give them then we are engaging in corporate welfare.
The answer seems obviously simple...if we want to make Pittsburgh a hub of this clean energy development, then offer low-to-no state taxes to companies that want to start their businesses here to develop that technology. Offer this program for two years and have a grant program in place to help fund these startups. PA already has a large grant system (www.newpa.com) that could be expanded to include this niche market. Wages are low (relative to other large cities), cost of living is low, number of qualified, available employees could be high if the right programs are started at CMU and Pitt. Isn't there a Media Arts program at CMU that has created this new market in Pittsburgh? Maybe that is a bit of a model that we can follow.
This doesnt sound like a hard sell. How many politicians do you know would want to be responsible for bringing 1000 jobs to Pittsburgh? All of them? Hey, this is a perfect thing for the Mt Lebanon office space to be involved with. Any vacant space? Have these clean energy startups locate here, bring some business to downtown Mt Lebanon and charge lower than normal lease rates for those first two years.
Alright, I am scaring myself. This sounds too good to be true. It's too easy.
Mike I will check out that Blog. Sounds like something I'd be into.
*CitizenA*
Citizen A --
Welcome aboard! For related conversations about Mt. Lebanon in particular, check out this post (Lebo as an arts hub) and this (Lebo as a tech hub). Of course, these ideas aren't mutually exclusive.
Mike
CITIZEN A,
Yes, bringing more clean tech and alternative energy companies to the region will require incentives due to the nature of competition of cities all across the US trying to build clean tech centers.
What I am against is tax breaks to companies like PNC Financial and already profitable real estate developers who do not need the money to compete against entrenched competition. Subsidies make sense when they go to promising technologies, like wind and solar energy, but make no sense when they go to a company with the profits the size of PNC.
This issue also falls upon us, the consumer and tax payer, to ensure that clean tech companies locate here in Western PA. For 45 cents a month extra we could have had a very ambitious energy plan that would have brought clean tech jobs and startups to the state and region, but unfortunately, the corporate interests and partisan politics once again defeated a fine piece of legislation. More on this at my blog.
More on the plan
Why is diversity even an issue? How does that make a place better to live?
That's an interesting question. Whether it deserves an answer depends on whether the question is asked out of knowledge or out of ignorance.
It is stipulated that Mt. Lebanon is a staggeringly non-diverse place, from a racial and ethnic perspective.
First, the knowledge assumption. Perhaps "Why is diversity even an issue? How does that make a place better to live?" is asked by someone who has lived in towns or cities that are significantly more diverse than Mt. Lebanon. Then, the question implies that the diversity added Little or Nothing to the quality of that person's experience there, or to the experiences of that person's family. That would be contrary to my own intuition (I've lived in places that are several orders of magnitude more diverse than Mt. Lebanon, and the diversity improved quality-of-life in non-abstract ways), but not everyone experiences diversity in the same way. In that case, the question is a fair one, and it needs to be answered.
Second, the ignorance assumption. Perhaps "Why is diversity even an issue? How does that make a place better to live?" is asked by someone who has never lived in towns or cities that are significantly more diverse than Mt. Lebanon. In that case, the question should be dismissed as defensive and uninformed and possibly even bigoted.
Which is it in this case?
Professor - regarding you last point: If a person who has only lived in non-diverse neighborhoods asks about "what's so great about diveristy", maybe it's honest, non-rhetorical question. It's quite possible that he or she actually wants to be told about the benefits of diversity. It might make this conversation more interesting if you mentioned how diversity has improved your quality of life.
My own point of view is that diversity in a town or urban neighborhood probably has a neutral effect on quality of life on average. On the one hand, you might have more interesting restaurants in a diverse community. On the other hand, you might have more possibilities for conflict.
If parents are looking for a town with good schools and a community-minded population, it doesn't matter much if that town is 95% white or much more diverse.
One other quality that you mentioned was job growth. Negative job growth, of course, is a major bummer. On the other hand, strong job growth usually goes along with population growth. I've lived in places with a lot of population growth, and they are not pretty. You often have lots of traffic on the roads and forested land being consumed for suburban sprawl. It may be that the best level of job growth for most communities is zero.
I can't imagine that an adult in the 21st century would be so naive or uninformed that she or he would honestly say, "What's all this about diversity, then?" Oops -- maybe I should, since I live on Planet Pittsburgh, as non-diverse as it is. But that level of naivete doesn't exist to any significant degree in any other community in this country -- or in the world. Out there, the challenges and opportunities of diversity are literally staring everyone in the face.
As to the concrete benefits of diversity, they have relatively little to do with good restaurants and a great deal to do with learning from your (diverse) friends and (diverse) neighbors, on a day to day basis, that the way that you look at and experience the world -- your beliefs, your values, your expectations -- are far from universal. Either you hold onto those values, beliefs, and expectations, or you change them, but either way, you no longer take them for granted.
In my view, a community-minded town with good schools would be *better* if it were racially and ethnically diverse, too, because some diversity would help (not cure, but help) the entitlement and self-absorption that characterizes so many Mt. Lebanon teenagers.
The problem is that "diversity" pushes the status meter out of whack. A lot of places are scared to death of having "diverse" populations arrive, mostly (I think) because they equate "diversity" with dilution of "my upper class/middle class status." Is everyone paying attention to how warm and welcoming West Mifflin is these days as Duquesne students prepare to transfer in?
With zero job growth, of course, traffic is the least of your worries. How about: no young families (why live in an area with no job growth -- and few job opportunities?). No children (why raise your child in a community where ambition will not be rewarded -- since there are no new jobs?). No appreciation of your real estate investments (is your nest egg in your house?). "No job growth" has just about killed the Steel Valley, and the West End of Pittsburgh is teetering on the brink. The East End is doing OK, and the suburbs to the north (Wexford, Cranberry), to the east (Monroeville), and to the south (St. Clair, Peters) are holding their own. A community with no job growth is a community that has a present and a past -- but no future.
I just moved from a very diverse area into Mt Lebanon and I admit Mt Lebanon (and Pittsburgh in general) is not diverse. Most people have huge stereotypes, due to what they have seen in their little world.
Although I enjoyed the diversity and multi-culture experience, I'm not sure if it adds that much to a neighborhood experience. Basically you still want to go to work, come home, play with/do homework with the kids, have a few beers with friends, etc. Diversity is way down the list after taxes, traffic, convenience, parks, etc.
I also believe that people love speaking about how they are diverse, but usually this just means going to chinatown for dinner, or trying extra hard to talk to a co-worker of a different race. How often do they hang out with someone of a different race is the real question.
I'm not sure how diversity would reduce "the entitlement and self-absorption" of Mt. Lebanon teenagers. If Mt. Lebanon were to become more diverse, it would be caused by propsperous, educated minority families moving in to a town that is currently overwhelmingly made up of prosperous white peopls. The kids would be exposed to racial diversity, not economic diversity.
Snobby rich kids are quite annoying all over the country, but I don't know what can be done to make them less snobby. Perhaps the best solution is to teach them from a young age that class prejudices are just wrong, just like prejudice based on race, creed and color. They also need to be reminded that the fact that they were born to a family with a nice income was just a matter of good luck for them.
I also disagree that the Western PA region's attitude towards the diversity is very unusual. I'm familiar with a few metropolitan areas around the country. Racial diversity is typically found in the urban core. The expensive, leafy suburbs with execllent schools are often overwhelmingly white.
I think that many native Californians don't quite understand how unusual the suburban areas of California are. To have highly diverse, middle income and high income suburbs where the races get along so well is still not common throughout the country.
By the way, I think that it's quite an accomplishment that those diverse populations can live together and get along so well in CA. It would be great of that could spread to the rest of the country.
The CA experience is a difficult balancing act, and it's not always a successful one. To the extent that those suburban communities succeed, however, I think that the reason has a lot to do with the high velocity of population turnover out there. Very few CA communities have long-standing vested populations that are threatened by newcomers of any color (religion, ethnicity, sexual orientation, economic status, etc.).
My home town (Menlo Park) has a wicked status economy, but in MP, the status economy runs entirely on income, size of house, make and model of car, and so on -- rather than on what street or neighborhood you (or your parents) live in, what church you attend, or what elementary school the kids go to. That makes MP neither better nor worse than Mt. Lebanon, but it means that getting accepted in the community -- within those high-level status parameters -- is a lot easier than it is here, regardless of color.
Turning the point around -- Diversity breeds acceptance, but population turnover breeds diversity. Population turnover is hard to manage without economic growth. Focus on growth; populations will diversify; acceptance (highly imperfectly) will follow.
A couple of things--first our obsession with lists is very silly and boardering on pathalogical espically in relation to Universities...
Secondly, it looks to me like Lebo does very well statistically compared to other areas on this list. I am currently in the process of moving here from a former #1 on this list--Moorestown NJ. One thing that really stands out is home affordability. The CNN/Money list recieved a lot of complaints because of the excessive cost of homes in these "top communities" (I believe the average cost is over 400k).
This of course begs the question of "diversity." Somehow this loaded term has come into general acceptance. I would argue that in general the rich of any ethnic background have more more in common with each other than the rich and "working-class" of the same ethnic background. Given that exclusivity is an unstated desireable characteristic of this NON-SCIENTIFIC POPULARITY CONTEST I think grading on "diversity" is more than a little hypocritical..
Anyway, I was very impressed with the low crime rate (significnatly less than the other "top towns"), and the affordable homes. On a personal level I have been truly impressed with level of community that "Leboites" display...
I can only wonder at what Mt. Lebanon's response would be if some of the Duquesne kids were sent here.
I remember how tough is was for the "Ward Home" kids when they went to school at Mt. Lebo. Our kids were not too nice to them.
Lebo went to court to prevent a merger with Upper Saint Clair Schools.
I think Mt Lebanon would have the right to not want Duquesne, or any other students.
Anyone who purchased a home in Mt Lebanon could have found a much bigger home in St Clair for less money. Why should we pay big bucks so somebody else could come to our school district?
Mt. Lebanon would probably be just as welcoming to the Duquesne students as they were to my children almost 3 years ago. NOT! We were told Mt. Lebanon had the best school district in the area and that our children would get a wonderful education. (one that cost almost 14,000.00 per year. I am getting ripped off. The school system is so flawed here I would laugh if I was not crying. My children have received death threats, written and verbal. The classrooms are distracting because of the noise and lack of disipline (teachers are afraid to punish) The first year not one child in either of my childrens classes ever invited them over or to do something with them. I asked other mothers what the problem was and the reply I got was "We try to keep the kids really busy, they don't have alot of time to socialize" What the heck!! It is good, better, best in this community. The only problem is the people we have met from Mt. Lebanon have neither been good, better, or best. Mt Lebanon is not the promised land and the people here need to wake up and start taking responsibility for their schools, goverment, children and neighbors. Being closed minded only allows you to focus on the past and never step toward the future. Wake up Mt. Lebanon fix your problems.
Anom 12:33 AM, your experience is the opposite of mine. Everything you said is the exact opposite of what I have seen. I just moved a year ago and my kids have been invited to so many birthday parties we are declining invitations due to the costs. My kids are playing at other kids houses so often (and vice versa) we are declining those too.
I don't know your kids ages, but that may have something to do with it. If they were in Middle or High School, I could believe this because most everyone has had their friends for a long time. New students have had troubles in middle and High Schools throughout the country throughout the past 100 years. This is not Lebo related.
If your children received death threats, you should report them to the Police. You should also ask them why they are receiving death threats as I assume they may have done something to get somebody that mad. It is possible that people don't want to play with them because of their actions. There is a kid on my street who I don't want my kid to play with, and neither do the other parents. He is a bad influence and always causes problems.
I agree with the previous poster. Depending on the age of your kids, it may be more difficult to get them to fit in. The younger, the easier I would think. That still does not at all excuse any kind of death threat. Without a doubt that sort of behavior needs to be reported. If it was reported to the Principal and nothing happened, then its an absolute shame.
My family was not born and bred in Mt Lebanon but we have met many terrific friends simply by having our kids bump into each other (sometimes literally) at the parks.
Between the PTA, athletics, drama clubs, bands, whatever, there is ample opportunity to meet others. It does take some initiative on the parents' part, however. For the kids, any of the extracurricular activities will give them the chance to already have something in common with a number of their peers. You may have to do the research on what is available for them and then make the suggestion and arrangements.
I really do hope things change for you and your kids. Mt Lebanon is not the most diverse community but I do believe that we are an accepting bunch of folk when approached by most people. I am sad to hear your experience has been different than most.
*CitizenA*
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