Young People

For too long, Saline County's chief export has been it's young people. We can be proud that our best and brightest are in such high demand by employers across the country and around the globe, but it is a cold comfort. Wouldn't it be better if those young adults came home after college and put their talents to work here?

As a college professor and the parent of two teenage boys, I have had the opportunity to speak to many of Saline County's 14 to 22-year-olds. A common complaint for those in this group is that "there is nothing to do here."

So how do we deal with this? In general, the concept is quite easy and will benefit all of Saline County's population. We have to provide our young people with a way to make money and then give them places to spend it. We must also consider youth-oriented recreation options.

To accomplish the first part of this we need to focus our efforts on making Saline County an attractive place for businesses in the engineering, finance, computer, Internet technology and accounting fields. These are the jobs that our young people want and the ones they are willing to leave home to find.

Next we must work on developing the ability to meet our young people's expectations for shopping and entertainment where they live. Although we older residents know that Saline County provides an excellent quality of life, we fall short in regard to the availability of retail and entertainment amenities that our younger population desires.

Surveys conducted by or on behalf of the Marshall-Saline Development Corporation have  shown time and again that additional retail, dining and entertainment opportunities are a high priority desire for older residents as well.

If Saline County cannot provide its residents with the jobs they want or the goods they desire, they may just move to where they can find them.