Post Square 12.19.13 ~ A Different D.C.
Washington
D.C. has changed. Used to be, all
the great jobs were with the government. Now, hundreds of local start-ups are
thriving without ties to federal contracts.
Many of the smart, young people who came to D.C. to work in
politics found they could be better off in the business sector. They found a
city that prospered because the federal government granted contracts to
hundreds of new companies which created well paying jobs. This new money and
growing population changed the button-down population to one more comfortable
with spending. Neighborhoods were gentrified and new restaurants and night
spots opened up.
Even when the economy faltered, D.C. flourished. The
government needed computer technology and that attracted engineers, developers
and other IT specialists.
Other fields, such as health, education, energy, transportation
and hospitality also enjoyed growth.
One thing that helps D.C. maintain such innovation is the
unusual number of dual-income, high-earning couples who live and work there,
including a large percentage of women in top executive positions.
The image I’ve drawn is an abstract of a 1” square detail of
the cover story photograph ~ a woman sitting in an old-fashioned phone booth.
This phone booth, one in a row set up at a business start-up space called 1776
in downtown D.C., provides privacy for people working for or running the fledgling
companies.
4.5” square, colored pencil.
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