Young professionals are the key to vibrant economies in rural communities. How will communities attract and keep them?

Young professionals focused on brightening state’s future

I’m here because West Virginia is an excellent place to live for young people, and I think those qualities need to be highlighted, and to this point, I don’t think they have been," said Andrew White, an entrepreneur who owns Andrew White Guitars in Morgantown. "If people are not feeling satisfied, what would make them more satisfied? This group has fingers all over the state, reaching people in each region to find out what we can do to maximize the positive and minimize the negative."

They can learn from each other’s successes and mistakes, he said. "It prevents you from wasting a lot of time," White said.

By JEAN TARBETT
HARDIMAN
The Herald-Dispatch

Full Story: http://www.herald-dispatch.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070812/NEWS01/708120353/1001/NEWS10

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The graying of Carson – and what’s being done to stop it

Geritol and walkers may be in shorter supply at the local Wal-Mart these days as Carson City’s retirement-age population has crept above the state average. An upstart group of young business leaders and City Hall aim to reverse this trend.

"The answer is yes, we’re concerned about the community skewed to favor one age group," said Joe McCarthy, economic development and redevelopment manager for Carson City. "Community’s with a level demographic are the most economically viable long-term.

Andrew Pridgen
Appeal Staff Writer

Full Story: http://www.nevadaappeal.com/article/20070814/NEWS/108140066

(Many thanks to Ed Morrison http://edpro.blogspot.com/ for these two excellent articles. Russ)