Miami County is losing young adults quickly, but local officials said they’re aware of the issue and looking to make Miami County more attractive to young adults by improving what the county can offer to them.
According to data from STATS Indiana, the statistical data utility for the state, the number of young adults between 25 and 44 years of age in the county declined 1,430 between 2003 and 2013. In 2003, there were 10,922 young adults in Miami County, versus 9,492 in 2013.
The county’s overall population decreased significantly less – from 36,829 to 36,140. The county’s median age increased more than two years in the last decade, from 37.6 to 40.2.
Mayor Jim Walker said retaining young adults is “one of our highest priorities.” He said the decrease likely came from young people who recently graduated college and, with the county not offering “jobs here at the present time to meet their qualifications… go elsewhere.”
He also said it could be from those people “looking for a different quality of life,” saying perhaps they wanted to “be near bigger cities.”
“Making improvements is making an investment that says this community is on the right track,” he said. “We want people to come in and say it’s a nice, clean community that has a lot to offer.”
Walker said young adults “want to be able to go and have fun, they want to be able to go places and access to recreation and arts and entertainment. They want to go places where they can go hang out with their friends and talk about things.”
“These are things we’re working on,” he said. “It takes time, takes money, but we are definitely working on it.”
Walker said the community already had “a lot to offer” and “just have to market ourselves a little better.”
“Maybe we’re never be able to compete size wise with bigger cities as far as amenities we offer, but we are trying, especially with Broadway Landing to get jobs here that can keep our young people here,” he said.
Broadway Landing, which was recently unveiled as the city’s newest economic development venture, could bring as many as 1,600 jobs “at full development,” Walker said, but added that could take a number of years that depend on the economy. He had no timeframe as to when development could begin.
“If we make it where if you have a degree in a certain field, maybe we can get some higher tech jobs here,” he said. “These are all things we hope to get, but there are a lot of things we have to do to get to that point.”
He also said the city was trying “to improve our housing,” saying they were “tearing down homes in hopes that people will build some others.”
“We know it’s not going to be instantaneous. We know it’s going to take some time. But if I look at what we have to, we have to make sure we have a quality of life that young people will enjoy,” he said.
Miami County Economic Development Authority Executive Director Jim Tidd said “everyone recognizes we’ve got to work together to make us more attractive” to young residents.
He also said they were working on “connectivity and making sure our infrastructure meets our needs.”
“We’re talking about making sure we have a network to reach out to high school graduates that leave the area for college where they would have an opportunity back here at home to see who’s hiring and what’s going on,” he said. “And establish what they need and keep in touch with those folks who go off to school.”
Tidd said Miami County wasn’t alone in losing its youth “unless you’re in a larger metropolitan area.”
“A lot of the smaller rural communities struggle with this,” he said. “We have to try to establish some type of opportunity and offer something the young folks are looking for, whether that’s careers or work after college.”
Tidd is originally from Wheeling, W.Va., he said, but came to the area because of the military and Grissom Air Reserve Base, then active.
“The thing that I really enjoyed about the community was some of the same things we’re promoting: a central location, a great place to raise a family and good people,” he said. “I spent 23 years in the Air Force traveling to all four corners of the country and overseas, and this was absolutely the best assignment I had.”
However, he said the county had to realize “some people that are going to leave and never come back.”
“You can’t capture 100 percent. I don’t think that’s realistic,” he said. “There are some young people who graduate from school here and want to go out and do other things and possibly work in a field that we don’t have here. I don’t know if we can make it attractive for every young person that lives here or is looking for a place to locate.”
However, he said “with our assets we have and type of structures, industries and growth” they would “try to make it attractive as possible.”
“I’ve got two young girls – one’s a senior, and the other’s freshman at Maconaquah High School – that I hope stay around this area,” he said. “It’s up to all of us to try to create that environment.”
Miami County Chamber of Commerce President Sandy Chittum said young people leaving the area could actually be a positive.
“If you want to go and seek other bigger areas, let them do that. Let them experience the bigger cities,” she said. “Because then they’ll realize how nice it is back here.”
She said her point was for young people to “check it out, go to school, graduate and (then see the) many opportunities here.”
“The rural life is wonderful. Our community is fantastic,” she said. “There’s so many things to do. It’s what you make of it. It’s what you want. Bring back those experiences and values to us.”
She said people could return and start their own businesses and the chamber could help, saying “there’s always room for more” in regards to virtually every industry in Miami County.
Chittum, a native of San Antonio, Texas, said she moved to Peru 10 years ago because of her husband. She said she “fell in love with the community.”
“Why would you want to leave? I’m glad I (moved here),” she said. “I feel that it’s home.”