College towns are siphoning students out of the rural heart of the Farm Belt

[murielm99]

6. I am in rural Northern Illinois,

not that far from you. I am south of Rockford.

I think the problems you describe are only going to get worse. I see small communities around me dying, and school enrollment dropping. Unless people have a family business or farm to take over, they will not stay. While I would love to see more of them stay, I discouraged my own children from settling here.

Lately, I have seen a few people return to my small community. They have worked in the wider world, and come home because of opportunities here. A couple of them work as medical professionals. One is a lawyer, and one is a career law enforcement officer.

I would love to see some of the returning people get help with student debt. The communities have to have the money for this, though. Most small communities are poor.