Why government agencies should move from DC to the Midwest

Midwestern cities need jobs. DC is too crowded. A simple solution.

Detroit, Cleveland, Cincinnati, and other former industrial powerhouses in the Midwest are struggling. The industries that have supported those cities have gone away, leaving them overbuilt and underpopulated. Meanwhile, coastal cities like New York and Washington, DC are overcrowded and absurdly expensive. So, why not relocate some well-paying federal jobs from the capitol area to the Midwest? Vox's Matt Yglesias explains how such a plan might work.

[stormbob]

"The CDC...is not really part of national politics."

That aged well.

[xisumavoid]

is there not a reason they choose to centralize these institutions in the first place?

[niallcheetham]

France has done something like this, they decentralised their government services from Paris around to more peripheral regions with smaller cities. As a result population in those regions has increased. This works :)

[kap]

It's a wonderful, reasonable, and thought out idea. So of course it will never happen in this country.

[gabepyra]

‘The center for disease control really dosent have a lot to do with AHAHAHAHAH

[davidreed]

Not a bad idea. The Midwest is full of charming little mid century neighborhoods that should be taken advantage of before they crumble further.

[emjayjordan]

It's like moving the National Parks Service from Chicago to Pawnee, Indiana...

[christophersmith]

"the government is something that is under our control"

lol ok mr. fairytale

[EnFlickProductions]

I live in a county near DC and we built a one million dollar bus stop that doesn't even keep the rain out xD

[j.connorsintz]

It's important to keep in mind that cities like Cleveland and Cincinnati have not lost as many people as it may seem. It looks extreme if you are only looking at the population within city limits, but much of the population has simply moved out to the suburbs. In 2020, Cleveland's MSA (metro statistical) population was 2, 088, 251 (34th in the nation) and their CSA (combined statistical) population was 3, 633, 962 (17th in the nation). Cincinnati had an MSA of 2, 256, 884 (24th in the nation).

[HaiNguyen-ksve]

i don't know why I'm watching this, i live in Australia ;l

[alexlavin]

An idea for a video: something I've always wondered is how the "American accent" developed. If the original colonizers were British, how did we evolve from that? How did immigration play a role in how it developed? There may be a very simple answer and I may sound very dumb but if it's as complicated as I've made it out in my head I think that would be a vox-worthy video

[whatever]

To be fair, while the CITY of Cincinnati may have shrunk, the METRO AREA of Cincinnati has been growing alongside the National growth average.

[raghavgdt]

I am an indian, but I actually love the Midwest area of the US. Chicago, Detroit, Cleveland, Indianapolis, all beautiful cities. And hearing that their population is declining is sad. They were the main contributers to the American industry and they deserve something better.

[girllove]

I lived in Detroit all my life and you learn a lot, I never knew our city was thought to be so "bad" until I got into high school and went out of town, its a great city with great people, homes are cheaper and it's easier to excel for those who try, so don't knock a city you haven't been to cause surprised you will be

[GrumpyCrawley]

When the sea levels rise, we won't have a choice...

[blakezahradnik]

Vox: "The CDC is not political"
Trump: *hold my 12 diet cokes*

[s.u.n.t.a.n]

“The CDC isn’t really part of national politics.” Well that didn’t age well...

[PhanezTheFinesse]

It's easier said than done. This would mean uprooting tens of thousands of civilian employees that would want to keep their job.

Also, you would have to devise a plan as to which specific agencies go to these areas that have regressed and how they fit in with those cities' economic plans

[dolphinoegglet]

Unless they relocate these workers and their immediate families, it's only going to make them unemployed in a very expensive area.