The native of Dayton, Ohio, is Alexandria’s newly appointed city manager. At 35, Young is the youngest appointee to ever fill the position for the city, and also the first black man to do so. Formerly the city manager for Greensboro, N.C., he’s getting ready to tackle a host of issues in Alexandria — like a projected $14.4 million budget shortfall in 2013. His first day on the job will be Dec. 12. Why Alexandria?

I’ve always loved that area of the country. There are only two places in the country I wanted to live, and North Carolina was one and this was the second. What sealed the deal for me and my wife was when we came to Alexandria and poked around. We experienced Old Town, rode the trolley down King Street, went to the pier and took a tour of the Potomac. It felt good and family-friendly.