A Decade After 9/11 Lower Manhattan Is a Magnet

Since the September 11 attacks, the areas in and surrounding Lower Manhattan have experienced an increase in the population of young, educated workers, reports Sam Roberts. Farther-off suburbs are seeing their share of such high-value workers shrink.

2 minute read

October 23, 2012, 6:00 AM PDT

By Jessica Hsu


"After suffering through a loss of jobs and residents in the aftermath of the Sept. 11 attacks," writes Roberts, "Lower Manhattan has undergone a renaissance." According to the Census Bureau, the population within a two-mile radius of City Hall has increased by nearly 40,000 people in the past decade. A separate analysis by the Downtown Alliance found, "[t]oday, Lower Manhattan is surrounded by communities that have an increasing share of the region's high-value workers."

Lower Manhattan has grown "in part as a result of incentives, including subsidies and mass transit improvements, intended to spur a rebound after Sept. 11," notes Roberts. Within a 30–minute commute of downtown, the biggest population gains have happened in the Newport-Grove Street-Jersey City Heights area on the New Jersey waterfront and in Williamsburg and Greenpoint in Brooklyn. Many parents are choosing to raise their families closer to the city as opposed to the suburbs, citing diverse communities and shorter commutes as benefits.

The Downtown Alliance found that the number of "college-educated people between 18 and 44 living within a 30-minute commute of Lower Manhattan" increased by more than 172,000 people between 2000 and 2010. "If these growth trends continue," the Downtown Alliance analysis said, "it will not be long before the young, educated population of areas surrounding Lower Manhattan outranks that found in all of Long Island; Hudson Valley, N.Y.; and southern Connecticut combined."

Friday, October 19, 2012 in The New York Times

portrait of professional woman

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching. Mary G., Urban Planner

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching.

Mary G., Urban Planner

Cover CM Credits, Earn Certificates, Push Your Career Forward

Logo for Planetizen Federal Action Tracker with black and white image of U.S. Capitol with water ripple overlay.

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker

A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

July 16, 2025 - Diana Ionescu

Green vintage Chicago streetcar from the 1940s parked at the Illinois Railroad Museum in 1988.

Chicago’s Ghost Rails

Just beneath the surface of the modern city lie the remnants of its expansive early 20th-century streetcar system.

July 13, 2025 - WTTV

Blue and silver Amtrak train with vibrant green and yellow foliage in background.

Amtrak Cutting Jobs, Funding to High-Speed Rail

The agency plans to cut 10 percent of its workforce and has confirmed it will not fund new high-speed rail projects.

July 14, 2025 - Smart Cities Dive

Worker in yellow safety vest and hard hat looks up at servers in data center.

Ohio Forces Data Centers to Prepay for Power

Utilities are calling on states to hold data center operators responsible for new energy demands to prevent leaving consumers on the hook for their bills.

July 18 - Inside Climate News

Former MARTA CEO Collie Greenwood standing in front of MARTA HQ with blurred MARTA sign visible in background.

MARTA CEO Steps Down Amid Citizenship Concerns

MARTA’s board announced Thursday that its chief, who is from Canada, is resigning due to questions about his immigration status.

July 18 - WABE

Rendering of proposed protected bikeway in Santa Clara, California.

Silicon Valley ‘Bike Superhighway’ Awarded $14M State Grant

A Caltrans grant brings the 10-mile Central Bikeway project connecting Santa Clara and East San Jose closer to fruition.

July 17 - San José Spotlight