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| Artist in residence: When Kim Chapin and her husband discovered Raleigh, N.C., this year, they decided to move there. Patrik Jonsson |
Southern U.S. cities lure artists to boost economy
In Raleigh, N.C., where the ballet used to practice in a mall, the arts are blossoming.
By Patrik Jonsson | Staff writer of The Christian Science Monitorfrom the December 26, 2007 edition
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RALEIGH, N.C. - A boondock capital built by tobacco traders and textile engineers, Raleigh, N.C., hardly has the mystique of a Boston or a San Francisco.
But when Long Island artists Daniel and Kim Chapin discovered the city on a fluke this year, they quickly put a deposit down on an apartment and found a small studio space. They'd found their nesting place. [Editor's note: The original version got Mr. Chapin's name wrong.]
"I worried a little about how far out of the way it is, but I've been amazed at how fast we've been able to get going," says Mr. Chapin, a printmaker. "The fact is, Raleigh is becoming the arts capital of the South."
Good jobs and cheap housing are the chief reasons behind the growth of many cities, especially in the Sun Belt. But increasingly, proximity to culture – in the form of art galleries, theaters, and symphony halls – is an emerging X factor for young careerists as they decide where to live. As a result, mid-size cities such as Raleigh, Greenville, S.C., and Paducah, Ky., are increasingly promoting their "bohemian index" to leverage population growth and economic development, even in areas not considered cultural hot spots.
"There are some things that are important that are tough to measure in dollars – and that's civilization, soul, identity, and community," says Joel Garreau, author of "Edge City." "When companies, especially, are making moves, it always occurs to somebody in the room that, 'Hey, one of us is going to have to go down there and live in this place.' "
Even for those who don't like art, the presence of a buzzing cultural scene provides the kind of racial and class diversity that many young Americans prefer, writes Richard Florida, an economist at the University of Toronto.
Never mind that the ballet, in Raleigh's case, used to practice in a strip mall. Researchers say that for every $1 spent on arts promotion, a community gets $5 from resulting economic activity. Indeed, new high-rises, condos, and restaurants going up in Raleigh can all be tied in varying degrees to the influx of musicians, painters, printmakers, and dancers, city officials say. Raleigh has consistently made the Top 25 list of fastest-growing US cities in the last three years.
"The arts are a key part of our economic-development strategy," says Raleigh's mayor, Charles Meeker. "Arts add character, a sense of place, and also artists tend to be some of those willing to go to areas of town that aren't so well renovated and help with urban renewal."
Just this year, Tallahassee, Fla., and Charlotte, N.C., began actively pursuing artists and promoting their art. In Charlotte, primarily a banking town, city leaders have created an arts exchange that aims to get local art placed in public and private spaces. Tallahassee is for the first time playing up the Florida State University film school by opening a film festival to shake up a sleepy suburban culture.
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