I had dinner with several alumni and professors from the University of Michigan yesterday and an economic professor recommended this article:
ANN ARBOR, Mich. — Michigan’s economy is the worst in the country, dragged down by its dependency on an ailing auto industry. But in a lab at Accio Energy in Ann Arbor, engineers Dawn White and David Carmein are driving in a different direction.
[…]
Michigan’s economic future rests on making the state look more like Ann Arbor, and less like Warren, 50 miles to the northeast, where factory buildings and warehouses built on the riches of the Big Three auto makers bear signs saying they are “priced to sell.” The latest blow came earlier this month, when Chrysler LLC shut down its two plants in Warren as part of its bankruptcy filing. [Ann Arbor And Warren: A tale of two economies. Justin Lahart. Wall Street Journal. May 26 2009]
Amid the rust belt, Ann Arbor is shining due to its highly educated labor force.