DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska - Lincoln

Title

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

Authors

Cheryl A. Burkhart-Kriesel, University of Nebraska - Lincoln
Randolph L. Cantrell, Nebraska Rural Initiative, University of Nebraska-Lincoln
Bruce B. Johnson, University of Nebraska - Lincoln
Charlotte Narjes, University of Nebraska - Lincoln
Rebecca J. Vogt, Center for Applied Rural Innovation, University of Nebraska-Lincoln

Document Type

Article

Date of this Version

September 2007

Comments

Published by the Center for Applied Rural Innovation, University of Nebraska – Lincoln. Copyright © 2007 by C. Burkhart-Kriesel, R. Cantrell, B. Johnson, C. Narjes, and R. Vogt.

Key Findings

• 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.