#WhyOakland as the #5 Place to Go in 2012?
By now the news is widespread that the New York Times named Oakland the #5 place in the world to go in 2012. ICA offers its perspective about why Oakland is the place to live, work and play, not just visit.
By now the news is widespread that the New York Times named Oakland the #5 place in the world to visit in 2012. By and large, we believe that a national nod brings a perceivable boost to a DIY city fraught with serious problems, but full of promise and people that have worked resiliently to maintain and improve the quality of life here. With respect to these kudos–and in light of our tireless, collective investment in this city–the people of Oakland, CA should not take kindly to a reductionist paragraph with appeasing disclaimers, as if name brand newcomers work like Xanax to calm tourist jitters. The Oakland Art Scene Examiner and 38th Notes made poignant follow-up critiques along similar lines.
Let’s be clear. Oakland has been, and always will be, a self-determined city. What makes this city great is the simple fact that it is home to the full spectrum of humanity, unabashed in all its ugliness and virtue. This full range of frequencies reverberates in an unparalleled mixture of culture, with an authenticity that feels no need to congratulate itself. This is a vanguard city, regaining its footing after the blow of deindustrialization and disinvestment, with distinguished models for how to overcome the nation’s and the world’s most pressing challenges.
Our work at Inner City Advisors focuses squarely on increasing the success of entrepreneurs and small businesses so that they can create jobs in the neighborhoods hit hardest by political and industry neglect. With full consideration to the total complexity of human beings that live in Oakland, we highlight the innovative, responsible entrepreneurs and the ecosystem of support that we are building around these people, as a vital part to the future success of this city. This makes Oakland a great place to live, work, play and visit.
That includes (but is certainly not limited to) small businesses like Ed Support Services, Back to the Roots, Merriwether & Williams, Outsource Consulting, Revolution Foods, Juniper Ridge, Give Something Back Business Products, Blue Bottle Coffee Co. and strategic partners like the East Bay Community Foundation, as evidence that Oakland is the place to reside, not just visit.
And now that Gertrude Stein’s “no there, there” myth has been dispelled, we created the Twitter hashtag #whyoakland, so that you can sound off in support of this great city. Join the conversation below.
