Reversing the Rural Brain Drain

For many years small towns have struggled with the problem of brain drain. Bright, young people leaving after high school to go to the cities and gain a college education. Many start their careers in the cities and do not return to their rural hometown.

To some extent we, in Mitchell County, Kansas have seen some young people return to our area to work in family businesses, start their own business or find other roles in our workforce. We have some who have returned in a variety of workforce positions such as attorneys, veterinarians, dentists, teachers, plumbers, salesmen, nurses and many other professions. Even with these success stories we continue to struggle as many other communities to retain people in our community and attract new people here as well.

The issue of the Brain Drain in rural America is addressed in a new book called "Hollowing Out the Middle" written by Patrick J. Carr and Maria J. Kefalas who say rural communities need to change their way of thinking in order to reverse the Brain Drain .

Here is a Newsweek article on their book and their views of issues facing rural America.