The Hudson's Future

As the Hudson valley looks to rebound back into a prosperous, successful area since its decline due to the end of urbanism and industrialization that hit the valley hard, there have been steps to try to help bring industry and money back into the Hudson valley. The Lohr article about I.B.M.'s factory in East Fishkill, NY focuses on how communities as well as companies are trying to bring industry back into the valley. In order to bring life back to the valley large companies like I.B.M., that are opening these large factories, are receiving large amounts of tax credits in order to ensure that I.B.M. opens its factories in the Hudson valley. The hope is that the opening of these factories will bring about employment opportunities to areas that have been in the decline for the last couple of decades. The impact of the I.B.M. factory is that it should impact the regions economy by adding $2 billion over the next ten years. Also, the factory should create more jobs and hopes to employ 3,600 full-time jobs, and not to mention all of the construction workers that will be needed during the construction of these factories. The I.B.M. factories are doing a great job at bringing some jobs back into the Hudson valley as well as helping the economy in the area, but the factories are only a start to improving the Hudson valley. The factories are only creating a limited amount of jobs because factories have become very mechanical so the 30,000 people that were once needed to run the factories are no longer needed and there is a larger need for the limited amount of skilled labor positions. The East Fishkill region took a hard hit to its economy when I.B.M. closed its factory and left in 1993, but the new factory has done a lot to help the economy by attracting private investment and skilled workers. The factory has helped lower unemployment to 4 percent and rising housing prices is showing the region is on the rebound. The East Fishkill region is a success story as of now about how an economy has benefited from the introduction of a factory that has brought about many employment opportunities as well as stimulating the regions economy.