[Urbanthusiat]

Originally Posted by jonesrmj

How would Wilmington never be what I want it to be. All what I want Wilmington to be is what it was back in the 1940s till 2000 when it had a population of 114k, many corporations, skyscraper development, less crime, a likable place, growing population, and for it to be like a Tysons, but also with things to do and have things to attract tourists in addition to the corporations. So basically, I want Wilmington to be like its past. And I mean think about it. Wouldn't it be awesome if we could discuss "Wow, so and so corporation is coming to Wilmington". and, "A skyscraper complex with office, residential, and mixed-use is under construction", and, "look at the population soar, etc!" ??? I get that Wilmington can not be all rainbows and sunshine, but I want it to be successful, and given its past, it has potential.

There's a reason why we have the phrase "They didn't build Rome in a day." These things take time. The kinds of things that you're talking about simply take a long time to achieve. Wilmington has a unique set of problems and history that make it uncomparable to places like Tysons, which has a very different history. Edge cities like Tyson's are blank slates and don't have to deal with aging infrastructure, brownfields, and crime. It makes it very easy to develop the land, allowing those places to grow quickly because developers don't want to deal with those problems. Take solace in the fact that progress is happening in Wilmington, and it's location at the very midpoint of New York and DC - probably the wealthiest and most influential 200 mile straight line in the world - make long-term growth and prosperity almost certain. Most of us think that Wilmington is turning the corner, but we realize that economic development and rebuilding a postindustrial city takes a long time. And I don't mean just mean 10 years, I mean 50. If you're lucky, you're young enough to watch that growth for most of your life and look back can look back and think "Wow Wilmington has come a long way." Good things are happening. There's no reason to be feeling negative about Wilmington.