Combating Out Migration

Over 360,000 native-born North Dakotans live in other states according to statistics in Elwyn Robinson’s The Themes of North Dakota History. They left to seek opportunities North Dakota could not offer. What Eric Severeid wrote about his native Velva is true of communities across the state, “Hungry young brains must have food to work on and Velva cannot provide it; it has not the industries, the laboratories, the law courts and colleges for young brains to flourish and ambitions come true...For Velva is small, the world calls, the gate is open and they are young; go they must and always will.”

However, after experiencing the “big world”, making some money, suffering through traffic and congestion and high crime rates, some long for the very things they left- the openness; the small towns; the freedom of North Dakota. After working in Washington DC and earning a law degree at the University of St. Thomas, Kristy Schlosser stated in a Fargo Forum article, “We know we’re coming back. It’s just a matter of time.”

How can we make sure she does? We can’t change the climate. We can’t change our location. Changing our name won’t help. But something has to change in order for North Dakota and its economy to remain viable and able to support both infrastructure and citizen needs.

According to state leaders interviewed by the Fargo Forum:

• “We’ve got to get over our resentment of success and mistrust of big business”
• “We have to start embracing and supporting success”
• “A fresh outlook is needed”
• “We need a new class of citizens who demand an end to partisanship and for politicians who will put aside political advantage for the state’s well being.”
• “We have to quit preserving the ‘agrarian myth’”

Various initiatives and programs attempt to address the concerns and issues including:

- Vision 2000
- 2002 Youth Initiative
- Marketplace For Kids
- Community Initiatives
- BOSS - Business Plan Competition