The best thing about being a highly educated and creative young professional in Baton Rouge is that apparently it’s fairly easy to get a job in Austin, Dallas or Houston.
For those not lovin’ the eyes of Texas being upon them, the yellow brick road to livin’ the dream also runs east to Atlanta and north to Washington, D.C.
Every year, LSU and other area institutions of higher learning churn out graduates ready to redefine the concept of a knowledge-based economy, and every year an alarming—and increasing—number of those best-of-the-best choose to live someplace other than here.
This mass Millennial exodus is such a big deal because the key to the Capital Region’s long-term economic future is the ideas and dreams bouncing around the 100 billion-plus neurons in each and every one of their crania.
This brain drain, says Mike Odom of the Baton Rouge Area Chamber, is the most serious problem facing Baton Rouge and the Capital Region.
He’s right about that.
But his “cautious” speculation, found on page 43 of this issue, that problem numero uno’s root cause is the lack of desirable jobs—outside of becoming a doctor, lawyer or engineer—would, in a word, be “wrong.”
No doubt, not having the kind of companies and jobs these young professionals crave in mass quantities is a big deal. Yet it’s why we don’t have these companies and jobs that’s the issue in urgent need of solution.
We don’t have them in big numbers because the young entrepreneurs who start these companies and create those jobs don’t live here. And these young entrepreneurs—and the would-be employees they need to turn their dreams into moneymaking, knowledge-based reality—don’t live here because [pause for dramatic effect] Baton Rouge lacks the quality of life they desire.
There’s our problem.
A wise woman, who lived here before moving to San Antonio, convinced me of this fact with an explanation that went a little something like this: If it’s only about the jobs, then why are so many talented young people willing to move to Austin when the only jobs available are bartender or waiter? Yes, Austin does have the jobs they ultimately want, but they move there, even without jobs, because Austin’s quality of life is a magnet for young, diverse, creative people.
CNBC came out with its annual Top States for Business report last week and Louisiana came in at a dismal 44th, a number dragged down by a last-place finish in quality of life. Closer to home, Portfolio.com gives Baton Rouge a quality-of-life ranking of 56th, well below Washington, D.C. [2nd], Austin [9th], Atlanta [11th] and Dallas [29th].
This isn’t simply about whether it’s better to get drunk on Austin’s Sixth Street or our very own Third Street. It’s about walking and bike trails. It’s about an arts district. It’s about passive green space for community interaction. It’s about being able to use something other than a car or SUV to satisfy one’s transportation needs. It’s about reversing the soaring murder rate. It’s about improving our health care system. It’s about fixing public education. It’s about our tolerance for diversity. And, yes, it’s about a thriving downtown.
It’s not because I want these things. It’s because the inventors of a world we’ve yet to imagine demand it.
It’s also about a mindset. Consider the new developments along Perkins Road, particularly the locus of retail shops that once was the beloved Perkins Road Hardware store, lost several years ago to fire. Neighboring residents love walking to the new restaurants and the area’s burgeoning Magazine Street atmosphere. Yet they also say life would be better if college students and young professionals would find some other place to spend their late-night hours.
No doubt there are other challenges for Baton Rouge to overcome, such as LSU junking its 1970s thinking about higher education, especially when it comes to technology transfer and public-private partnerships.
What’s also true is the Capital Region has significant assets and attributes. And, yes, sometimes we’re our own worst enemy by forgetting the positives and focusing on the negative. Yet, there’s a reason so many people who hold the key to our future are opting to flee.
A former colleague once likened Baton Rouge to the Ford Taurus, a fine, dependable car that will safely get you where you want to go. But, seriously, does anyone believe the best of our younger generation want to live in a city that reminds them of a car their parents or grandparents would drive?
