CARI: Center for Applied Rural Innovation

CARI: Center for Applied Rural Innovation

Publications from the Center for Applied

Rural Innovation (CARI)

University of Nebraska – Lincoln
Year

Newcomers to the Nebraska Panhandle:

Why Did They Move Here?

Cheryl A. Burkhart-Kriesel∗
Randolph L. Cantrell†
Bruce B. Johnson‡

Charlotte Narjes∗∗

∗University
Rebecca J. Vogt††

of Nebraska – Lincoln, [email protected]

†Nebraska
Rural Initiative, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, [email protected]

‡University of Nebraska – Lincoln, [email protected]

∗∗University of Nebraska – Lincoln, [email protected]

††Center for Applied Rural Innovation, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, [email protected]

This paper is posted at DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska – Lincoln.

http://digitalcommons.unl.edu/caripubs/67

Newcomers to the Nebraska Panhandle: Why Did They Move Here?

Key Findings

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New residents rated the high cost of living and urban congestion as the top reasons for

leaving their previous community.

The top rated reasons newcomers move to their current communities involve

community quality of life amenities: to find a simpler pace of life, to find a less

congested place to live, and to be closer to relatives. Other reasons for moving to the

Panhandle include the decreased cost of living, the quality of the natural environment

and to find a higher paying job.

Families cite the better environment in which to raise children and better quality

schools as reasons for moving to the Panhandle.

Job-related considerations are important factors in the decision to move, but

community quality of life amenities can be the factors that ultimately lead persons to

choose to move to the Nebraska Panhandle.

residential recruitment and retention in

sparsely populated rural areas. This will be

Even though much attention has been

focused on the depopulation of rural areas

across the country, the 2000 U.S. Census

figures show that new residents are moving

to the Nebraska Panhandle. This is an

encouraging finding. Additional new

residents can be recruited to move to the

region if the reasons why people move here

are better understood. So, why do new

residents choose to leave their previous

community? What drew them to the

Panhandle? What job considerations

influenced their move? This paper will

address these questions.

About the Study

The primary objective of this study, funded

by a USDA CSREES NRI grant, is to

identify potentially successful strategies for

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accomplished through the compilation and

analysis of detailed information from

households that have chosen to relocate to

one of Nebraska’s most rural regions: the

eleven county western Panhandle. This

study includes four components: GIS

analyses of secondary data in the region, a

household survey of new residents to the

Nebraska Panhandle, focus groups of new

residents and a multi-staged Delphi Survey

of economic development practitioners in

Nebraska and its neighboring states. The

following results are based on data collected

from the household survey as well as the

focus groups of new residents. For more

information about this study, including the

survey questionnaire, visit the Web site at

http://cari.unl.edu/buffalo

previous community differ by age. Urban

congestion was more likely to be reported as

A self-administered questionnaire was

mailed in May and June to approximately

1,050 households in the Nebraska Panhandle

using mailing lists designed to identify

households that were new to the area in the

last five years. Responses from those who

had moved within the Panhandle and those

who moved more than five years ago were

excluded. Our return rate for usable surveys

was 33-percent. A total of 321 new movers

to the Nebraska Panhandle region since

2000 are the basis for the following

summary.

The eleven counties included in the sample

were Banner, Box Butte, Cheyenne, Dawes,

Deuel, Garden, Kimball, Morrill, Scotts

Bluff, Sheridan, and Sioux. The 14-page

questionnaire included questions pertaining

to the new residents’ background, reasons

for moving, decision making tools used and

views of their current community.

Why Did They Leave Their Previous

Community?

The high cost of living and urban congestion

are rated as important reasons for leaving

their previous community by 39 and 37

percent, respectively, of the new residents.

Other factors cited by at least one quarter of

the new movers include: being too far from

relatives (34%), lack of job opportunities

(31%), and fear of crime (29%).

The primary reasons for leaving their

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an important factor for leaving their

previous community by older persons than

by younger persons. Almost one half (49%)

of persons age 50 to 64 say urban

congestion was an important reason for

leaving their previous community, compared

to 22 percent of persons age 19 to 29.

Both high state and/or local taxes as well as

having a long commute were important

reasons for moving for 36 percent of persons

age 40 to 49. But high taxes in their

previous location were noted as an

important reason for moving for only seven

percent of persons age 65 and older.

Approximately 16 percent of persons age 50

and older say that having a long commute

was an important reason for moving.

Persons age 40 to 49 are also more likely to

say poor schools were a reason for leaving

their previous community. Almost one

quarter (24%) of persons in this age group

cite poor schools in their previous location

as a reason for moving, compared to five

percent of persons age 65 and older.

Persons age 30 to 39 are more likely than

other persons to say that a lack of outdoor

recreational opportunities was an important

reason for leaving their previous

community. Twenty-four percent of persons

in this age group say this was an important

reason for leaving, compared to seven

percent of persons age 65 and older.

The youngest persons are the age group

most likely to say being too close to

relatives was an important reason for

moving. Sixteen percent of persons age 19

to 29 say being too close to relatives was an

important reason for moving, compared to

seven percent of both persons age 30 to 39

and persons age 65 and older.

The belief that their previous location was a

poor place to raise children was an

important reason for moving among

approximately one quarter of persons under

the age of 50. Only 10 percent of persons

age 65 and older say this reason was

important.

Some differences in the ratings of these

factors also occur by family structure. Both

single parent households and couples with

children are the groups most likely to say

that poor schools and the belief that their

previous location was a poor place to raise

children were important reasons for leaving.

Differences also occur by the type of county

from which the new residents moved. High

cost of living, fear of crime, urban

congestion, high state and/or local taxes,

long commutes, poor schools, unsafe places

to live, and quality of the natural

environment were all more important

reasons for leaving for persons moving from

a metropolitan county than for persons

moving from a non-metropolitan county.

Persons from non-metropolitan counties are

more likely to say a lack of job

opportunities, few cultural opportunities,

and a lack of outdoor recreational

opportunities were important reasons for

leaving their previous community. Forty-

one percent of persons moving from a non-

metropolitan county rate lack of job

opportunities as an important reason for

leaving their previous community, compared

to one quarter (25%) of persons moving

from a metropolitan county.

High state and/or local taxes, a lack of

outdoor recreational opportunities and a lack

of job opportunities were more likely to be

rated as important by persons moving from

other parts of Nebraska than by persons

moving from outside the state. Almost one

third (32%) of persons moving from other

regions of Nebraska say high taxes were

important in their decision to leave,

compared to 10 percent of persons moving

from adjacent states. A lack of job

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opportunities was an important reason for

leaving for one half (50%) of persons

moving from other parts of Nebraska,

compared to 25 percent of persons moving

from adjacent states.

Why Did They Move to Their Current

Community?

At least one-half of new movers to the

Panhandle cite the desire to find a simpler

pace of life (53%), to find a less congested

place to live (50%), and to be closer to

relatives (50%) as important factors in their

decision to move to their current

community. Other reasons that were

important to at least one-third of newcomers

include: to lower the cost of housing (48%),

to lower the cost of living (45%), to obtain a

higher paying job (39%), to live in a

desirable natural environment (37%), to find

a safer place to live (36%), to obtain a job

more in line with their skills (35%), and the

belief that this (new) community shares my

(our) attitudes/values (34%).

Reasons for Moving to Community

% of Respondents Indicating Important

or Very Important

Simpler Pace of Life 53%

Less Congested Place 50

Closer to Relatives 50

Lower Cost of Housing 48

Lower Cost of Living 45

Higher Paying Job 39

Desirable Natural Environment 37

Safer Place to Live 36

Job that Better Fits Skills 35

Community that Shares Values 34

Better Place for Kids 32

Closer to Friends 32

Lower Taxes 22

The importance of some of these factors

differs by age. Persons under the age of 40

are more likely than persons over 40 years

of age to rate finding available and

affordable childcare as an important reason

for moving to their current community. This

group was also most likely to rate to

obtaining a higher paying job as an

important factor for moving to their

community. Persons under the age of 50 are

more likely than persons over 50 to rate a

better environment for raising children as an

important factor. This group is also most

likely to rate to obtaining a job more in line

with their skills and the opportunity to

secure a better job for a spouse/partner as

important factors in their decision to move

to their current community.

Differences also exist by family structure.

Single parent households are more likely

than other family structures to say that being

farther from family and relatives was an

important reason for moving to their current

community. Twenty-one percent of single

parent households say this was a reason for

moving to their current community

compared to two percent of single adults.

Single parent households are also the group

most likely to rate finding available and

affordable child care as an important reason

for moving to their community (39 percent

compared to one percent of couples without

children).

Single parent households and couples with

children are the groups most likely to rate

finding better quality schools as an

important reason for moving to their

community. Approximately 39 percent of

these two groups rate this reason as

important, compared to seven percent of

single adults.

More than one-half (61%) of couples with

children rate finding a better environment

for raising children as an important factor in

their decision to move to their current

community. Only 11 percent of single adults

rate this reason as important. And, over

one-third (37%) of couples with children

rate securing a better job for a

spouse/partner as a reason for moving,

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compared to six percent of single adults.

Persons moving from other parts of

Nebraska are more likely than persons

moving from other states to rate to finding

more outdoor recreational opportunities as

an important factor in deciding to move to

their current community. Forty-six percent

of persons moving from elsewhere in

Nebraska rate this reason as important,

compared to 18 percent of persons moving

from adjacent states. This group was also

most likely to rate obtaining a higher paying

job as an important reason for moving – 56

percent compared to 33 percent of persons

moving from adjacent states.

A better environment for raising children,

finding a less congested place to live,

finding a safer place to live, a lower cost of

housing, lower taxes, finding a simpler pace

of life, seeking a community that shares my

(our) attitudes/values, and a lower the cost

of living were more important factors for

persons moving from metropolitan counties

as compared to persons moving from non-

metropolitan counties. As an example, two-

thirds (66%) of persons moving from

metropolitan counties rate the desire to find

a simpler pace of life as important,

compared to 34 percent of persons moving

from non-metropolitan counties. However,

finding arts, entertainment and cultural

activities was more important to persons

moving from non-metropolitan counties.

This was an important reason for 21 percent

of persons moving from non-metropolitan

counties. Only 10 percent of persons

moving from metropolitan counties rate this

factor as important in deciding to move to

their current community.

What Job-Related Considerations

Influenced Their Move?

Over one-third (36%) of newcomers moved

to the Panhandle in order to accept

employment by a new employer. Twenty-

four percent of their spouses/partners moved