What does our age say about our present and future?

Many people reading this column have engrained roots in this area. Families and generations living in the same place. It's a beautiful snapshot of Americana. But the reality is that not all of us are deep-rooted. Multiple factors have changed migration patterns in Post-World War II America, and mobility has allowed a lot of us to be from here, there and everywhere. I am one of those people. A wear it like a badge, as I feel a sense of place in multiple spots. I am tied to Western Pennsylvania, where my parents are from. To the Ohio River Valley, where I was born and lived my first five years. To no less than five different cities in Michigan, where I grew up, my wife grew up, went to college and lived and worked in. And now to the Tiffin, Findlay and Sandusky area, where I have lived nearly 6 ½ years. My connection to all of these places sometimes makes me wonder "what if." As a teen, I used to wonder what my life would have been like behind Door No. 2, staying in the Ohio Valley. Or if I had gone to another university. Or taken a job and relocated somewhere else along the way that I ended up turning down. Life is full of choices, big and small. I recently was able to do a quick tour of many of the areas I feel a deep connection to in Michigan thanks to a 1,200-mile, six-day work trip to my hometown, Alpena, Michigan, and four Upper Peninsula cities. As I traveled through what I think is one of the most beautiful parts of this country, I wondered "what if" for the people who live there. Long distances and isolation are the name of the game in Northern Michigan. As I sometimes do, I look to data. We are all concerned about retaining our young people, about birth rate, about health outcomes. A marker I wanted to delve into was average median age per county. On the whole, the average median age in our country is rising — always improving healthcare is a big reason, but our declining birth rate also plays a factor. So, places with higher average median ages would be those who likely lose young people to migration at a higher rate than those with lower average median ages. Using the part of Michigan I'm most familiar with as an A-B test with Ohio, I found some interesting information. Digging into data I was interested to know that according to Data USA, Hancock County is the youngest in our direct region, at a median age of 39.6 This is very close to Delaware County's 39.9 age. Delaware's population has grown at a drastic rate the past 20 years. Franklin County, home of Columbus, was at 34.7, and Wood County, home of Bowling Green State University, was at 35.7. Ottawa County (50.3) and Erie County (45.2) were the highest in our coverage area, by far. Both are considered retirement destinations, and that surely contributes to some of these numbers. The other counties in our area: Wyandot (41.6), Putnam (40), Huron (40.4), Sandusky (42.5) and Seneca (40.5). All were near the state's average median age of 39.6. The counties of Northern Michigan were much higher. Alpena County, where I grew up, was 47.6. Otsego County, where I lived for 14 years, was at 44.5. Some of the nearby counties that I know are very small population wise and with little industry showed incredibly high numbers. Iron County, in the Upper Peninsula, had an average median age of 53.2. Alcona County, which borders the county I grew up in, has an average median age of 59.7! What does it mean? The present is the time to prepare for the future, and local leaders are constantly in a fight to retain as much of our young people as possible. Initiatives like Raise the Bar Hancock County, the Seneca County Collaborative, the Greater Sandusky Partnership and the Findlay Hancock County Alliance, and others, are all rowing toward that goal. There are some smart leaders in these organizations, and they are very aware of the need to retain talent and ensure an attractive quality of life. I also found it interesting that in two separate conversations I had within the last week, leaders at a pair of regional universities talked about the importance of training their staff on the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI). Learning how to equip local students for what is ahead is necessary and local businesses should follow suit. Preparing our students, our workforce, our business leaders for the future landscape is our best chance at retaining and developing great jobs. Geeking out on this data, I wonder what the future holds for places like beautiful Northern Michigan. Driving through its highways and roads, you'll quickly notice very few commercial trucks. Geography plays a huge role in its lack of industry. Maybe — certainly — it's the kind of place one might want to retire to. Look for that average age to keep creeping up. Here in Ohio, we hope to continue to develop communities that are desirable for young, working age and old. Watch the commercial trucks fly down I-75, or on the Ohio Turnpike, and you'll realize the importance of industry in this region. Jeremy Speer is the publisher of The Courier, Findlay, the Sandusky Register, The Advertiser-Tribune, Tiffin, the Norwalk Reflector and Review Times, Fostoria. He can be reached at jeremyspeer@thecourier.com.