Economy
If a City Learns to Code, Will Jobs Follow?
In South Texas, the Mission Economic Development Corporation is taking an unusually hands-on role to raise the STEAM skills of its current—and future—workforce.
Located on the U.S.-Mexico border, Mission, Texas, is home to a predominantly Hispanic population of more than 80,000. Manufacturing is the driver of the local economy, but the city has a poverty rate of 26 percent and a median household income of about $42,000, lower than the national median.
The Mission Economic Development Corporation funds a program for startup businesses and initiatives to teach both adults and kids how to code, and just opened a 55,000-square-foot co-working space, among other projects. Program Director Cristina Garza, a South Texas native, spoke to CityLab about creating new opportunities for Mission’s workforce.