Iowa's Great Brain Drain
We left Iowa and didn't look back...or did we? Season 2 trailer is here!
After I graduated college, I wanted to leave Iowa. For me, that meant going to the Washington, D.C. metro area, then to the San Francisco Bay Area eventually.
Thinking back on that first decision to leave, aside from being drawn in by the international, diverse, urban life of D.C., I felt like I had no choice but to move to D.C. for my career. Since I wanted to work for international nonprofits, it felt like the obvious next destination for me. In hindsight, I didn’t love D.C., though. The fast-paced feeling of being in an urban center was fun to visit, but not live long term.
Meanwhile, Iowa was pushing hard to redefine itself. In Des Moines alone, the city started attracting and keeping younger people, bringing in new businesses, and reshaping downtown through its Capital Crossroads project, an initiative of the Des Moines Partnership.
But, where does rural Iowa fit in? Before starting this series, I, like many others, had read the stats on rural populations declining across the country, like this one.
In the race to keep up with the urban centers, can a rural place still survive?
So, my question for this series is:
Dear Iowa, is rural Iowa lagging behind?
Stay tuned. We’ll begin officially next week!
This episode of Warmly, Iowa is sponsored by Evolution of the Heartland. Experience the innovation beyond the cornfields and discover the entrepreneurial spirit of rural Iowa with the Evolution of the Heartland immersive tours. Find out more at EvolutionoftheHeartland.com.