A wise economist made the point last week that while it’s true more people have left Alaska each of the past 10 years than have moved here, the problem isn’t so much the departures as it is the drop in arrivals.
Alaska has long had a high turnover rate — not everyone likes the weather, the isolation or the lifestyle. They come, they see, they decide to move on. Which means Alaska needs to draw in a constant flow of new residents so that the keepers outnumber the shakers who get away.
It’s that shortage of enough people moving to the 49th state that is the real problem.
It’s scary. We’re not replenishing our communities. We’re not bringing in fresh ideas, new energy and young families. We’re not building, only consuming.
It’s not sustainable, and it’s certainly not healthy. It’s bad for businesses, our schools, our nonprofits that need new volunteers. It’s bad for homeowners waiting in line for contractors to have an opening in their work schedules and for Little League teams that need coaches.
Alaska needs to make itself more attractive for new residents. Clearly, the state needs more than sportfishing, hunting, hiking and mountain biking. Certainly, the outdoors are a big selling point, but it’s a competitive market to attract new residents and Alaska needs to offer more.
It needs improved access to outdoor activities. It needs more housing and child care services. A university system that excels at its specialties and loudly promotes itself across the world. A well-funded public K-12 school system focused on learning rather than getting pulled into election-year, pre-election year and post-election year political social battles. Job training programs that look to place the workers of today and tomorrow.
There will always be more job opportunities in the Lower 48. There will always be lots of reasons for people to play it safe, stay close to friends and family and not make the move north. But enticing more of those people could make a big difference in Alaska, filling a lot of the vacant jobs around the state and the empty chairs in schools.
Otherwise, the downward trend in new residents, combined with an aging population, does not bode well, particularly for small communities such as Wrangell. The Alaska Department of Labor estimates the community’s population of just under 2,100 could fall to 1,724 by 2050. Only an estimate, of course, but not an encouraging one.
It will not be easy to reverse the numbers of the past decade and attract new residents to Alaska, but elected officials would be smart to focus on the problem. Just as soon as they stop arguing over the Permanent Fund dividend and who uses what bathroom at school.
— Wrangell Sentinel
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