Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
First thing I will say is the typical things young people look for in a city like public transportation and safe, walkable, cool neighborhoods are going to be lacking in a city that experiences heavy brain drain.
Second, if you choose the right city, it can be a lot easier to find a job due to lower competition.
I would recommend the following cities: Little Rock, Oklahoma City, Tulsa, Wichita, or Omaha. Those cities are economies that are humming along nicely yet are relatively unpopular for relocating young professionals due to desirability issues i.e. they are not hip. Many educated people who grew up in them end up moving away after college. They also are a fair compromise in terms of quality of life vs the cities of the Rust Belt.
In terms of percentage of residents having at least a four year college education, Omaha is tied 22nd among the top 100 metros . No brain drain going on there!
In terms of percentage of residents having at least a four year college education, Omaha is tied 22nd among the top 100 metros . No brain drain going on there!
Little Rock is a fine city. It may not be a young professional magnet but it's nowhere near the level of Shreveport or Monroe.
Little Rock has a young professional community. When I lived there though, it was very transient with most looking to move elsewhere as soon as they had the opportunity. I am not sure how much its changed now that Alltel is no longer there.
First thing I will say is the typical things young people look for in a city like public transportation and safe, walkable, cool neighborhoods are going to be lacking in a city that experiences heavy brain drain.
Second, if you choose the right city, it can be a lot easier to find a job due to lower competition.
I would recommend the following cities: Little Rock, Oklahoma City, Tulsa, Wichita, or Omaha. Those cities are economies that are humming along nicely yet are relatively unpopular for relocating young professionals due to desirability issues i.e. they are not hip. Many educated people who grew up in them end up moving away after college. They also are a fair compromise in terms of quality of life vs the cities of the Rust Belt.
I wouldn't put Omaha in that boat. Omaha and Des Moines (about 120 miles east) are basically brain draining the educated people from Iowa and Nebraska - those who don't go to regional hubs like Chicago, Minneapolis, Kansas City.
With such a strong emphasis on education in those states you have a ton of qualified kids who are flocking away from all the small cities/towns/rural areas. It's a huge problem for those Midwestern states. Everyone is leaving hundreds of dying towns aside and moving to the major US cities, or concentrating in areas like Omaha, Lincoln, Des Moines or Iowa City.
I know for Iowa the populations of the Des Moines and Cedar Rapids/Iowa City metro areas alone gain more people than the entire state does as a whole, and it's just increasing. It's bleeding out into the urban areas at the expense of everything else. Since 1970 just the central counties of Des Moines, Cedar Rapids and Iowa City have gained 300,000, while the state as a whole only went up by 250,000.
As far as other Midwestern areas that probably see a lot of brain drain (just a guess):
Rockford, Illinois
Peoria, Illinois
Quad Cities
Waterloo, Iowa
Fort Wayne, Indiana
Kalamazoo, MI?
South Bend?
Toledo?
Last edited by Chicago60614; 06-06-2013 at 02:08 PM..
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
