JulieLeung.com: a life told in tidepools

Brett at DadTalk linked to a New York Times story Vibrant Cities Find One Thing Missing: Children. An accompanying graphic reveals Seattle’s position as second to San Francisco in the lowest percentage of children under the age of 18: 15.6%

The problem is not just that American women are having fewer children, reflected in the lowest birth rate ever recorded in the country.

Officials say that the very things that attract people who revitalize a city – dense vertical housing, fashionable restaurants and shops and mass transit that makes a car unnecessary – are driving out children by making the neighborhoods too expensive for young families.

Since we’ve lived near three of the top four cities (#3 is Honolulu, #4 is Boston), I can believe these statistics. High housing prices prohibit families, especially those who would like to have one partner at home (and unemployed) caring for the kids. From the beginning, we found Bainbridge Island refreshing because families were accepted and expected. Children are welcomed by restaurants and realtors. As we signed papers at the mortgage broker’s office, toys were brought out for the girls. The atmosphere felt different from Silicon Valley, where bringing kids to the mortgage brokers was not as easy. It is sad to see cities missing out on children. The article focusses on Portland, OR’s attempts to attract young families.

Brett also posted a funny picture of where kids may be going…His wife Anne’s Purim post on glue guns and Best Leftover Use of Fabric is equally cute.