Although many U.S. cities are showing signs of economic recovery as measured by median household income, others like Miami, Atlanta, Phoenix, and Charlotte, have not come back to 2009 levels. Bill Frey says: “[These cities] are still trying to recover from the huge morass they found themselves in as a result of the mortgage meltdown and the recession. Their economy was built on growth, in population and in jobs. And the merry-go-round just stopped.”

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