What makes a community "cool" for talent...and how do I become a "cool community?" How do we determine the "coolest" cities for young talent and how can your community measure itself? Following are the seven indexes we use to determine your community's attractiveness to young talent.
VITALITY
How "well" is your community? This index measures local commitment to the physical environment - air and water quality and greenspace –and includes factors like fruit and vegetable consumption and cancer rates. Kudos to the Cedar Rapids-Iowa City corridor for having excellent per capita scores on this index.
EARNING
Time Magazine reported that by the time they're 32, Gen X'ers (b. 1961-1981) have had 9 jobs. When choosing a community, young talent look for a breadth and depth of occupational options. Kudos to Nashville for having a diverse economy that's nearly recession-proof.
LEARNING
Today's young talent are lifelong learners. 60.6 percent of them have had some training beyond high school, and they intend to continue their education – formally and informally – for life. This index measures the key indicators that define education, continuing education, and re-education opportunities.
SOCIAL CAPITAL*
It takes many voices to create the chorus we call a Cool Community. This index tallies a community's commitment to diversity and its citizen's participation. Kudos to the core (Madison-Milwaukee-Chicago) for having record-setting scores in this index.
*Jane Jacobs coined the phrase "Social Capial" in The Death and Life of Great American Cities
COST OF LIFESTYLE
Young talent are in the early years of their earning potential, so affordability in a community is key. This index includes all the variables in the national cost of living index, which includes a roof over the head, food on the table, and a ride to work, plus a few others. Midwestern, Midsouth and rural areas are hidden gems for young professionals.
AFTER HOURS
There's more to life than work. This index identifies the cool "stuff" to do after 5. Young talent want places to go, things to do, and ways to recharge their intellectual battery. Washington DC gets high marks in this index.
AROUND TOWN
This index identifies the key indicators of accessibility, the physical connectedness of a community - How easy is it to get to where you want to go? And how close are you to an urban hub? Nashville is within 500 miles of most of America's population. How's that for access?
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