“Rewriting the Rural Narrative.”
That’s the title of a conference held in Bismarck Wednesday, sponsored by USDA Rural Development – and the NDSU Extension Service.
"It's about a positive future," said USDA Rural Development state director Ryan Taylor. "We need to look at ways to diversify, to add value, to utilize the people we have in our communities to come up with the next idea, the next part of the economy that will complement our commodities."
A senior research fellow with the University of Minnesota extension service said the current narrative for rural areas – that rural America is dying – is based on 1950s thinking.
"We're describing everything about our small towns based on what we used to have, what we don't have, what we wish we have that we can't have, instead of what we have," Benjamin Winchester told the audience.
Winchester said to the contrary, small towns are not dying. He said the demographics show an influx of people ages 30 to 50 who are moving out of the larger metropolitan areas, and into smaller towns.
Winchester said the discussions used to be about the “brain drain” – that is, the young moving away from home and into the larger cities. Instead, he said the migration of 30 to 50 year olds is more of a “brain gain” that has reinvigorated the local economy.
"They have brought jobs," Winchester said. "They have brought ideas. they're buying businesses. They're starting businesses. There is nobody more invested in your community than those new people."
Winchester said more people are working remotely, via high speed internet connections. And he said rural communities can market this to that age group.
"Quality of life is number one," Winchester said in an interview. "It surrounded a theme of independence. If there were a tag line, it would be 'Life on My Time.' People want control over their lives. And when you live in a rural community, you've got that."
