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Eugene
Reality Portland's Oregonian is running a series of articles this month about the economic health of different regions in Oregon. The Oregonian refers to these regions as the "nine states of Oregon" (borrowing a gimmick from Joel Garreau's 1981 book, The Nine Nations of North America). The Oregonian profiled Eugene on Nov. 18, describing this community as the "State of Edutopia." While The Oregonian reported that seven of Oregon's nine "states" are struggling economically, The Oregonian portrayed "Edutopia" as economically stable due to the steady demand for higher education. The article left the impression that Eugene is an island of prosperity amidst a sea of destitution in Oregon. There's only one small flaw with this utopian vision of Eugene: It's contradicted by the statistical evidence. You'd have better luck finding the Northwest Passage or the lair of Bigfoot than finding this so-called "Edutopia." What do the statistics tell us about Eugene's economy? In the spring of 2003, our local unemployment rate was 8.2 percent, compared with a national unemployment rate of 5.8 percent. Eugene currently has a lower rate of net job growth than does Oregon as a whole. Unemployment is not exactly utopian (although, in The Oregonian's defense, both words do start with the letter "u"). Poverty is a major problem in this community. A startling 17.7 percent of the local population lives below the poverty line, partly because of our high student population. Nationwide, this figure is 12.1 percent. The percentage of Lane County residents seeking emergency shelter care in the year 2000 was twice the statewide average. There are 1,806 homeless people in Eugene on any given night — a number that has risen 33 percent since the 1990s. Why didn't these statistics capture the attention of The Oregonian's writers? I guess "Edutopia" is a catchier nickname than "Will-work-for-foodtopia." The ratio of Eugene's median income to its housing costs has become infamous. The most recent census indicated that per capita income in Eugene was below the national average, while other data have suggested that housing costs here exceed the national average. In 1998, a survey showed that the ratio of median income to housing costs in Eugene was the second worst in the nation (only San Francisco had a worse ratio). A follow-up survey in 2001 indicated that Eugene had the 12th worst ratio of median income to housing costs among the 180 largest metropolitan communities in the U.S. Maybe we can take back the number two spot now that The Oregonian has revealed the secret of our idyllic lifestyle. The Oregonian is correct that the UO provides an important pillar for the local economy. But it's inaccurate to conclude that the UO is immune from the hardship of Oregon's economic downturn. State funding for the UO has dropped significantly. Departments throughout the University are paring back, and layoffs may occur if voters reject the Legislature's tax package. Why should we be concerned that The Oregonian has painted a falsely sanguine picture of our community's economic health? Here's the problem: The Oregonian's series suggests to residents of the seven distressed "states" that Eugene doesn't need the Legislature's attention. The rural Republican legislators who control the purse strings in Salem might be even less sympathetic to Eugene's predicament when Oregon's largest newspaper describes Eugene as "utopian." This characterization could breed resentment and division, when the reality is that Eugene suffers along with the rest of Oregon during a recession. Let's remember that Oregon and its largest college town are interdependent. We need the state, and the state needs us. Eugene is not in some imaginary state; it's in the state of Oregon. Tom Lininger is a law professor and former county commissioner. |
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