They're young, bright, ambitious. They're our future
Meaghan Moore loves Niagara. She chose Niagara. She loves the people and the traffic, the trails and the location. But she has a frustration — she can never find enough people her age.
At 25, she moved to St. Catharines from Kitchener to attend Brock University, and upon graduation a job offer at her alma mater persuaded her to stay. But she wishes there were more people around in her age group.
“I want other people my age to live here,” said Moore, who graduated with a degree in business communications in 2009.
“I feel like there’s this black hole of people aged 25 to 35. It feels like there are 20 of us, and when you get involved in something it’s always the same people.”
Moore’s dilemma is exactly what numerous local organizations are focusing on now — how do we lure young professionals to Niagara?
And how do we get them to stay?
Statistically, Niagara doesn’t fare too badly when it comes to young adults ages 15 to 34. Statistics Canada figures show Niagara’s population in that age range dropped from 106,875 people in 1996 to 71,275 in 2001.
Greensmith has worked as lead programmer on Red Dead Redemption for PlayStation 3 and handheld/mobile versions of GTA: Chinatown Wars, Manhunt 2 and Midnight Club 2. Bramall was lead designer on GTA Chinatown Wars, Vice City Stories and Liberty City