Tt proposed comment - tue, sep 16, 2014

Last week, I needed to look through some old Toledo Talk threads, and I stumbled upon a post that referenced this Nov 6, 2003 Toledo Blade opinion. I wonder if the thinking is the same, nearly 11 years later.

Considered a municipal crisis, we've spent years puzzling over how best to keep younger, educated Toledoans from abandoning us.

How could we be more open-armed for younger people? Meaning, how could we improve their “entertainment options.” Meaning, a livelier nightlife with cooler bars and music.

Then, almost as an afterthought, we remembered how important that whole business of “good jobs” is to new college grads.

Then the economy soured.

It seems that Toledo always has a sour economy.

10 to 12 years ago, people blamed the economy. 5 to 7 years ago, people blamed the economy. It's a solid, fall-back excuse.

More from the November 2003 Blade opinion:

And now, the latest census stats tell us, we need a tourniquet to staunch metro Toledo's rapid outflow of youth.

But at the risk of irritating the Chamber of Commerce types among us, may I gently suggest that, for so many well-educated young people, cities like Toledo will always tend to be places of departure, not destination?

Despite our best efforts, I'm not sure that we ever will transform Toledo into the cosmopolitan, happenin' place to which young professionals flock - or, at least, think twice about leaving.

Moreover, I think the harsher truth is this: We really don't want to be a young person's town.

New York City, for example, is perpetually 31: Young enough to still be gorgeous, but old enough to be savvier than looks alone would suggest.

Chicago, I think, is probably 27 or 28: Beautiful, yes, but not quite as sophisticated as N.Y.C.

Los Angeles is eternally 16 years old - newly licensed to drive, with no curfew and a slammin' party to get to - although, of course, L.A. likes to lie and tell everyone it's really 18.

But Toledo? Toledo is and always has been 43 years old, give or take a year.

... we're too busy raising our families for that kind of nonsense. After all, we are a family-oriented town above all else. And, to tell you the truth, when young people make too much noise, it gets on our nerves.

We like things nice ‘n' quiet. Peaceful.