I'm also seeing the general malaise among the population as well.. rather than just a depressed urban core. Suburban areas of the cities that lost so many residents aren't seeing much growth either. This indicates that everybody is hurting and people are leaving the region from all areas.. rather than just a migration towards open land on the edge of town.
It's like a different planet where I live. Even the depressed places got a jolt during the housing bubble thanks to their more affordable real estate. Other than some super rural wheat towns and Raymond-on-the-mud-flats, most places prospered out here. Even the urban cores. Seattle, Tacoma, Portland, and Spokane all saw increased population and prosperity in their cores. In the 1980's, Tacoma's downtown was totally dead. Yakima's core is the exception. It is has lost out to the Tri-Cities as the hub of South Central Washington.
