Economy
Related: About this forumCollege towns are siphoning students out of the rural heart of the Farm Belt
College towns are siphoning students out of the rural heart of the Farm Belt and sending them to urban centers
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Rural Youth Chase Big-City Dreams
More rural high-school graduates see college not so much as a door to opportunity as a ticket out of Nowheresville
By Dante Chinni | Photography by Danny Wilcox Frazier/VII for The Wall Street Journal
June 26, 2017 8:00 a.m. ET
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As more young people decide to pursue four-year degrees, college towns are siphoning students out of the rural heart of the Farm Belt and sending them, degrees in hand, not back to Oskaloosa but to the nations urban centers.
Overwhelmingly, University of Iowa students after graduation either stay near the university or scatter to Chicago, Des Moines or other big cities, according to Emsi, a Moscow, Idaho, advisory firm that analyzes labor markets. In 2014, Mahaska County sent some 170 people to Johnson County, home of the University of Iowa, according to Census data, while Johnson County sent only about 20 people back. As recently as 2000, Mahaska Country was sending 73 people to Johnson County and nearly as many, or 71, came back.
The outflow of young adults is one reason the population of Mahaska County is standing still. It has dipped 1% since 2000, while Johnsons population has grown 32%.
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elleng
(130,974 posts)In Towns Already Hit by Factory Closings, a New Casualty: Retail Jobs
Thousands of workers face unemployment as retailers struggle to adapt to
online shopping. But even as e-commerce grows, it isnt absorbing these workers.
https://www.democraticunderground.com/111680665
exboyfil
(17,863 posts)So what is the problem.
dixiegrrrrl
(60,010 posts)I live in one of those small towns which are a delight for retirees and people who can get support form the land: beef, timber, fruits, vegetables.
and was happy to read just today of a young man who went away to college, got a degree in Economics , married, then decided to listen to his heart, and came back to our county to farm.
The article was showcasing his watermelons...20,000 of them per acre, 10 acres, and he says he got a good price, was able to also sell to the local stores.
I am eating one as I type.
exboyfil
(17,863 posts)and responding to the Republicans complaints about college graduates not finding jobs. I think people should live where they want as much as possible. I live in my wife's hometown, and we love it. It has been great for the kids growing up near the grandparents. I have also lived in a small community (2,100) with no large population base within 30 miles. It was different but not bad. At first we didn't have cable (this was in 1992). Ironically I don't even watch our cable television anymore (we only have basic), but at the time it was a big deal (we rented a lot of week rental movies from that town 30 miles from us).
I have always been a city dweller (except for the 2 1/2 years in that community of 2,100). I grew up in SoCal and on the Mississippi Gulf Coast. Now I think I could relish being in a small town so long as I had a place to walk without contending with dogs or traffic.
msongs
(67,417 posts)HOW YA GONNA KEEP 'EM DOWN ON THE FARM?
Reuben, Reuben, I've been thinking
Said his wifey dear
Now that all is peaceful and calm
The boys will soon be back on the farm
Mister Reuben started winking and slowly rubbed his chin
He pulled his chair up close to mother
And he asked her with a grin
How ya gonna keep 'em down on the farm
After they've seen Paree'
How ya gonna keep 'em away from Broadway
Jazzin around and paintin' the town
How ya gonna keep 'em away from harm, that's a mystery
They'll never want to see a rake or plow
And who the deuce can parleyvous a cow?
How ya gonna keep 'em down on the farm
After they've seen Paree'?
How ya gonna keep 'em down on the farm
After they've seen Paree'
How ya gonna keep 'em away from Broadway
Jazzin around and paintin' the town
How ya gonna keep 'em away from harm, that's a mystery
Imagine Reuben when he meets his Pa
He'll kiss his cheek and holler "OO-LA-LA!
How ya gonna keep 'em down on the farm
After they've seen Paree'?