Editorial

Nebraskans need good jobs to stay in towns they love

Thursday, September 7, 2006

There is no place like Nebraska, even if we have toove somewhere else in the Cornhusker state.

That's one of the conclusions in the latest Rural Poll from the University of Nebraska Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources.

And another is that, for the third year in a row, more of us are optimistic about the way our communities are moving.

The 11th annual poll used responses from 2,482 people in 84 rural counties to a list of questions about their feelings toward their communities, their satisfaction with services and whether they plan to move in the next year.

While only 22 percent of respondents said they had seen positive change in their communities in the 2003 poll, 32 percent said so in the latest poll. For a dose of reality, 23 percent in this year's tally saw negative change and 45 percent saw no change.

But 73 percent consider their towns friendly, 62 percent trusting and 65 percent supportive, and emotions play an important part. Some 69 percent agree with the statement "my community is very special to me," and two-thirds agree with "I feel I can really be myself in my community."

Thirty-nine percent of people who lived in or near communities with populations of 10,000 or more believe their communities have changed for the better, while 24 percent of those who are in or near communities with populations below 500 believe so.

More of those smaller communities, however, are rated as friendly, trusting and supportive, with 46 percent of those with populations below 500 agreeing with the statement "no other place can compare to my community.'

We're doing a good job providing basic services, with 88 percent satisfied with fire protection, 76 percent with emergency care services as well as parks and recreation, 75 percent with library services, 74 percent with religious organizations, 73 percent for basic medical care, 70 percent highways and bridges and K-12 education.

Not surprisingly, people between 19 and 39 were less satisfied with entertainment in their communities than those 65 or older, but on average, 43 percent of us are dissatisfied.

Thirty-nine percent aren't happy with retail shopping, 37 percent are dissatisfied with local government and 34 percent with restaurants.

Most of us plan to stay put, but for the 5 percent of us who plan to move in the next year, most of us plan to move to Lincoln or Omaha rather than out of state.

"People are saying, 'I might have to move to get a better job, but I want to stay in the state,'" according to UNL rural sociologist Randy Cantrell.

The conclusion? Rural Nebraska is a great place to live, but the onus is on us to provide better economic opportunities close to the hometowns so many of us love.

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