Dennis RomeroL.A. seems to be racking up unflattering distinctions in recent months (the region with the worst roads in the nation, for example). Add to them a spot on the bottom of a list that ranks job growth among large U.S. cities.
L.A.-Long Beach-Glendale came in 59th in job growth — among the bottom 10 cities — in a ranking by Forbes magazine and New Geography. We're right down there with Detroit, Troy, Michigan and the repo-wrecked Inland Empire.
“The bursting of the real estate bubble has hit the Golden State hard, but seeing so many poor performances in my adopted home state is distressing and points to much deeper problems,” writes area historian Joel Kotkin in an introduction to the rankings.
“No state has suffered a greater reversal of fortunes than California,” he writes. “Five or six years ago California regions generally inhabited the top half or third of our lists. Today they generally have fallen even faster than the other Sunbelt states … California now accounts for a remarkable 7 of the bottom 20 regions on our big metro list … Historic high-flyers No. 59 Los Angeles and neighboring Santa Ana-Anaheim Irvine, which checks in at an abysmal No. 60, didn't fare much better.”
[Spotted at LAObserved].
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