The Business of Rural Millennials: Attracting and Retaining them to your small town (online)

Matthew Hoagland is the Planning Director of the Caswell County Planning Department in Yanceyville, North Carolina. He is a husband and a father, but unlike many millennials he is also a homeowner who has paid off all of his student loan debt. He was born and raised in Western North Carolina and after college had set his sights on living a trendy, urban life in Asheville, NC. But after several years there, he and his then fiancee—now wife—decided to move to one of the most rural counties in the state. But to their surprise, they’ve established the meaningful, sustainable, and affordable life they thought they would have by living in a bigger city. He has written a book about his experience: Think Small: A Millennial’s Guide to Building a Meaningful Life in Rural America.