It’s been awhile since the Wall Street Journal debuted this story, but the news bears repeating: Seattle and Washington, D.C., are the nation’s hottest youth-magnet cities as the country emerges from recession. The flood of “highly mobile, educated workers in their 20s” to these cities is no accident, the WSJ reports. In particular, this important demographic is attracted to Seattle’s strong university presence, abundance of high-tech jobs, thriving arts and culture scene, and proximity to rugged natural terrain.

The article also points out that mobile young workers can determine the future of a city: “Where young adults settle is no small thing. People 18 to 29 are the most mobile age group, and their past migration patterns have defined the future of regions, from the long rural exodus of the 1900s to the Silicon Valley boom of the 1990s. Youth-magnet cities gain an enviable cultural allure and a labor-market edge.”

Read the full coverage at the Wall Street Journal.