Kossuth County

For the past 30 years rural areas have seen a dramatic loss of population as their residents have moved into urban areas. Iowa is not alone; this same trend has transpired in nearly every state in the nation. However, what we have seen over the past 20 years are urban areas on the coasts, now over-saturated, shipping those from rural areas back to... where they came from. Sort of. Those who moved to New York, Chicago and San Francisco have largely taken up residence in the second cities, namely Minneapolis, Denver, Phoenix, Nashville, Austin, Seattle and Portland. This past decade has seen those cities become over-saturated, which has given way to Kansas City, Charlotte, Boise, Memphis, Birmingham and yes, even Des Moines. Now comes the true test, if we follow this pattern and in 10 years (or less) places like Des Moines are over-saturated, where will the next generation head? I believe it is rural America, and specifically, rural Iowa. But only if we change our game. Ok, but how to we get them to come to Kossuth County? Recent national articles are right to point out that a major motivator to encourage people to move to a community is a good job with a good wage. However, we are ignoring the underlying problem before we can even talk about high wages and benefits if a person does not want to live in that town, it really does not matter what amount of money you are offering to pay. This is specific to the elusive millennials that every community and company are chasing. Jobs and salaries are important, but they are far from the first or second thing this generation is looking for. Rural Iowa does not have a job shortage, it has a people shortage. This is no more evident than in Kossuth County. We need people to take the often high paying jobs in manufacturing, agriculture, pharmaceuticals, bioscience and new technology that are offered daily. So, if these jobs pay so well why is there not healthy competition for these positions? The answer is simple communities are not offering the amenities and lifestyle that ...Read More