“Brain Drain?” Let’s shift our focus to “Brain Gain!” The number of people living in rural areas, including Vermont, has been on the rise, according to Census Data. While we may be seeing many young people in the “Millennials” cohort leaving the TRORC Region at the moment, what we are seeing is a serious uptick in residents in the 30-44 age range– people at the height of their earning potential with young families. To learn more about this trend, please review this study completed by the University of Minnesota Extension program, which includes population data and trends for both Orange and Windsor Counties, beginning on slide 34: Rewriting the Rural Narrative: the “Brain Gain”of Rural America. To learn more about this phenomenon, please contact Loralee Morrow at (802) 457-3188 or via e-mail at [email protected].