High tech, high education buoy Ann Arbor in tough times

by Dante Chinni | The Christian Science Monitor

ANN ARBOR, MICH. - Surrounded by an area that is struggling to stay afloat economically, Ann Arbor is something of a life preserver.

The community dominated by the University of Michigan feels relatively stable, even if overall, southeast Michigan - an old industrial area - may be experiencing big financial troubles.

The economy and especially tech jobs that have risen out of the university - Google has an office here and is looking to hire - have served the area well.

Communities like this are, in the long run, well positioned for a changing economy. Ann Arbor, like other "Campus and Careers" communities, has a regular fresh stream of college graduates that is a plus.

The city's 114,000 residents have challenges as well, however. The unemployment rate for Washtenaw County, which includes Ann Arbor, was 6 percent in November 2008. That's lower than the state number, which is about 9 percent, but it's still the highest it's been in 16 years.

And home foreclosures hit a record 1,439 in 2008 in the county (pop. 346,505).

It's enough to make the juniors and seniors at the university keen on the option of grad school. "[I'm] wary and pessimistic in general. The economy, combined with searching for a job after graduations, make this a tough year in general," writes Michigan senior Jane Coaston in an e-mail.

Even if the economy has them down, the people in this bastion of liberalism have something to celebrate in the arrival of the Obama administration. Washtenaw went for Barack Obama heavily, giving him almost 70 percent of its vote. That was well above the overall "Campus and Careers" average of 52 percent for Mr. Obama.

Washtenaw was highly motivated to see Obama elected, and supporters registered so many voters in the county that volunteers had to go elsewhere to find new voters. In fact, if Ann Arbor residents have any concerns about the president, it may be that he will hew too closely to the center.

One way that Obama - or any politician for that matter - can win the approval of residents here is to focus on the environment. The cheer for the University of Michigan's well-known athletic teams may be "Go Blue," but going green is big in the town that locals call A-squared.

The environment may be the one thing that unites the various liberal factions here. Mayor John Hieftje has made the environment his signature issue while in office - installing solar panels and energy-saving light bulbs around town.

And in a place where historic preservation is also big, building companies that are seeking zoning variances and new permits sometimes cite their energy-saving plans in hopes of winning support.

It doesn't always work, but anything with a tinge of green is looked upon kindly here.