Sociologist says immigrants, millennials and retiree housing are keys to thriving rural communities

Rural communities can thrive by "attracting immigrants, hanging on to retiring baby boomers and appealing to millennials in need of affordable housing," Ben Winchester (left), an extension sociologist and analyst of demographic changes for the University of Minnesota, said Wednesday at a symposium hosted by the Center for Small Towns, Dave Peters reports for Minnesota Public Radio.

Winchester said rural areas can boost their local economies and increase growth by welcoming immigrants, and can work to keep retirees from moving away to urban areas to live in townhomes, condos and apartments by providing those housing choices in rural areas, Peters writes. He said rural towns can also boost growth by providing affordable housing for the growing number of people in their 30s and 40s who are moving to or returning to rural areas. (Read more)