When I lived in Indianapolis I spend a lot of my Americorps year gaining an understanding of Millennials, their behaviors and most importantly at that time, what motivates Millennials to give philanthropic gifts.
Indianapolis (and Indiana) suffers from a cultural shift known as Brain Drain, meaning that those who are born in Indiana, or come to Indiana for education, typically don’t stay there. Economist Rebecca Ryan specializes in understanding how cities and businesses can work towards building a community that fosters Millennial engagement and encouraging this particular audience to lay down roots within those communities. Her book “Live First, Work Second” is a fantastic read on the subject.
Indianapolis has a lot of non-profit organizations, driven largely from some amazing tax benefits, resulting in a community that is built on a foundation of community involvement. I don’t think they’ve rebounded from the brain drain that began in the early 2000’s but the civic leaders have made great strides towards building a city millennials (and other generations) want to live and work within.
I was born and raised just outside Denver, Colorado and as I’ve grown up in the city I bounce between shocked / horrified / excited of the cultural shifts I’ve seen over the last several years. Denver does not suffer from Brain Drain, instead it has become an incubator for new businesses and a destination for young college graduates, drawing thousands of new residents into an already over burdened city infrastructure.
Located close to all the outdoor activities offered by the mountains, the Denver population is booming and the prices to live here have followed suit. Centrally located apartments are nearly unaffordable and home prices are skyrocketing. As my hometown sits on the brink of what many are calling a housing crisis I’m extremely grateful that we were able to purchase our home before the summer surge of new residents but I worry about what the growth is going to do to the place I love.
In the short term, everyone who lives in Denver is benefiting from the growth and changes. We have a larger, better educated population. New businesses are starting and unemployment is decreasing. Home values are up. Restaurants are opening and entertainment options are booming.
It’s easy to forget that at some point, this is all going to slow down. The prices are going to force long time residents out of their neighborhoods and into communities further away. The roads and parking systems were not built for the current population. Denver residents are healthy and more likely to bike to work, but a lot of us don’t. We need to drive and we need to park. New public transit and wide roads don’t happen over night. It’s going to be a long time before light rail is wide reaching enough to have a meaningful impact on the density of the city roadways.
I worry that between the gentrification of areas like the Highlands combined with the population growth are going to make Denver a place thats nearly impossible to live in. I certainly don’t have a solution, but those of us who live here, who love this city, need to keep talking about what needs to be done to make Denver an amazing place for both transplants and natives alike.
Get out there, talk with your friends and your neighbors.
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Get involved. Learn who your city representatives are and what non-profits are doing to help keep the face of the city a constant.
How do you think Denver and Colorado had changed in the last few years? What are the positives and negatives you’ve experienced?
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