Young Professionals in a Metropolitan East a report to North Carolina’s Eastern Region

1. Young Professionals in a Metropolitan East a report to North Carolina’s Eastern Region February 17, 2010

2. A New NC

3. Two questions • What would we learn by looking at economic development opportunities in Eastern North Carolina through a “metropolitan’’ lens as distinct from the traditional “rural’’ lens? 2) What steps should the region take to attract and retain young professionals?

4. Scope of N.C. East Project • Data analysis • Interviews: face to face conversations with 70 young professionals working in the region + 15 who have left the region. • Poll: surveyed 1,874 residents of all ages in 9 counties. • Case studies: similarly situated regions and sub-regions.

5. Economic Development Regions

6. Clustering of metro amenities

7. State of the Region • 960,000 people across 13 counties. • 10% of people; 13% of land; 18% of municipalities. • Pitt & Onslow growing faster than state average.

8. State of the Region • 63/30/7 white/black/other • 35% of residents 20-44 yrs. old (NC=39%) • 18% of residents 25+ have BA (NC=26%)

9. 3 General Observations • Multi-level disconnectedness • Equal feelings of hope and concern about progress in the region. • Amenities and cultural/natural resources are vital to young professionals.

10. Little sense of regionalism “The towns in the east don’t work together and try too hard to compete with one another.” – Single black male, age 24.

11. Racial disconnectedness “All the professional firms…are segregated. There are black professionals and white professionals that don’t interact.” – Single white female, age 30.

12. Disconnected Generations “City leaders are old and traditional. They aren’t willing to try new things or change the status quo.” – Married white male, age 28.

13. New East v. Old East “Unless you are ‘Old Rocky Mount,’ there is not a lot of opportunity professionally or in civic life.” – Married white male, age 34.

14. Where there’s contradiction, there’s hope 60% of residents and 66% of residents 18-44 think the region is on the wrong track. YET, 71% of residents and 64% of 18-44 year olds think the region is “good” or “excellent” place to live.

15. How would you rate Eastern N.C. as a place to live?

16. Where there’s contradiction, there’s hope 86% of young adults said that career opportunities for their generation were fair to poor. YET, more than 70% of young adults planned to stay in the region.

17. Where there’s contradiction, there’s hope “Single people can’t stand living here, while it is a great place for married couples.” – Married white male, age 25. “It’s extremely difficult to find a husband or wife…everything is geared toward college students or older people.” – Single white female, age 31.

18. Where there’s contradiction, there’s hope “Everyone…is either very well-off or poor. The middle-class is the one that moves.” Married white male, age 34. “Great place to raise a family.” “Laid back way of life.” “Friendly people.” - common refrain in interviews

19. Making way for amenities • The lack of amenities and social/cultural opportunities for young adults was a common criticism in interviews. • Poll: 40% of young adults under 35 were dissatisfied with their community’s cultural resource offerings. Only 21% were satisfied or very satisfied.

20. Which of these entities should take the lead in improving the quality of life?

21. Making way for amenities • Local governments in the East spend the least of any region on recreational and cultural activities. • The East has the least amount of state and locally funded recreational area of any region—nearly 20,000 acres less than next lowest region.

22. School—the ultimate amenity • Local governments in the East spend the least of any region on school capital and are tied spending the least on school operations per capita.* • 87% of young adults polled said education was a problem. 59% said it was a big problem. * SOURCE: N.C. Department of Treasurer, pulled from the Annual Financial Information Report forms under “intergovernmental expenditures: public school capital outlay” and “public school current expenditures.”

23. Resource opportunities Neuse river water access Neuse river land access Source: N.C. Department of Environment and Natural Resources, Office of Environmental Education

24. Findings • Invest in local and regional mechanisms to engage young adults in the future of the region. • Greenville is a primary hub; Jacksonville poised to follow. • Small business opportunities based on amenities and regional products. • Land and water provide opportunities for resource development and regional branding.

25. For More Information Program on Public Life UNC-Chapel Hill CB# 3365 Chapel Hill, NC 27599 Phone: (919) 962-5936 Email: southnow@unc.edu www.southnow.org Ferrel Guillory, Director (guillory@unc.edu) Andrew Holton, Associate Director Jennifer Weaver, Assistant Director