Debora Dragseth

Should I Stay or Should I Go?: a Study of Outmigration of North Dakota College Graduates Debora Dragseth

The Territory of the Dakotas was populated by a legion of ambitious, young, entrepreneurial risk-takers who took advantage of the Homestead Act of 1862. Today, this rural state is facing a different kind of migration. North Dakota is losing its young and college-educated citizens at a rate higher than any other state in the nation. North Dakota''s population peaked in 1930 at 680,845 and today stands at 635,867, around 9.3 people per square mile. In comparison, the population of the United States during the same time period has nearly tripled. The intent of this book is to add new knowledge to the topic of the outmigration of young college graduates by examining the relationship among risk orientation, creativity and the graduates'' intent to exit their home state. It is critical for the future of North Dakota that our communities, our law makers and our educational institutions work together to find ways to retain these young risk-takers and foster in them the entrepreneurial spirit and vision that will help North Dakota to survive.