Students at UConn benefit from Connecticut’s charming suburban communities, top notch education and stable economy, but the lack of young adult friendly urban communities in the state make graduates think twice about permanently settling in the state.
While neither Gov. Dannel Malloy nor Tom Foley is focusing their campaign on the quality of urban life in the state, it is an undeniable fact that Connecticut’s young adults are the future of the state-as cliche as that sounds. In fact, with the recent controversy over a ballpark in Hartford, Connecticut’s second largest urban community, it seems like urban development and urban community building are the issues that really motivate Connecticut citizens. Jeff Jacobs, a Hartford Courant sports columnist, wrote yesterday that “The beauty of the Hartford stadium is it isn’t only a family destination. There will be young professionals, especially, who’ll be looking to eat, to hang out on warm nights after work. No, stadiums do not ensure economic vitality. What this plan does is give people a chance to grab something to eat, go to Hooker Brewery, head to the game, or some combination of it. Not only does this DoNo plan help bridge the unfortunate moat I‑84 created, it gives adults a place to play.” While Jacobs’ prediction might come true, it also has the capacity to fail, but the point is that young people in Connecticut are looking to stay in state for the education and economic benefits, but need places to be “young” and “hip.”
For Marissa Piccolo, a Trumbull native and a sophomore majoring in Political Science and Economics, staying in state is always an option with the wealth of political and public sector jobs, but that she plans to spend most of her young life in an urban area.
“I want to spend part of my young life in a city, but I think Connecticut would be a really good place to settle down. There are always options and places to work here…I definitely want to end up living here when I’m older,” Piccolo said.
According to Forbes Magazine, Connecticut is the second ranked in quality of life across the nation, but the urban areas where young adults gravitate towards in other states are unappealing for their high crimes rates and lack of development. Despite the fact that the City of Hartford’s marketing campaign claims “Hartford Has It,” the situation is far from ideal for young people. But the economy is a huge plus for recent grads—particularly those who are interested in working in the public sector.
While, Piccolo isn’t worried about finding a job in Connecticut, she does know that the state is small enough that many jobs she’d like to eventually pursue will take her elsewhere. Political jobs can be found in any state, but work with think tanks and other government projects are generally in Washington D.C or New York City.
As an aspiring health professional, Avery Desrosiers a senior Public Health major and Women’s Studies minor is not worried about the urban centers in Connecticut being unfriendly to young, privileged adults. Rather, she sees it as a place where she can bring her Connecticut education and empower and reinforce healthy communities.
We need to make Hartford a place where the existing population has equal access to fair and standard living conditions to promote equality in Hartford before we target outside populations to come and “revive” Hartford. Hartford does not need to be “revived” it needs to be restored to a city that provides access to its ignored populations across the spectrums of health, security, food justice and education.
But while Desrosiers perspective is uniquely aligned with her goals for healthy urban communities, other students will still see the city‑a representation of Connecticut’s urban situation-as unsafe and unfashionable for their lifestyle.
“Yes, Hartford has violence, gangs, a high rate of obesity among preschoolers, a lag in education and structure but it also has this underground resilience and the desire of many individuals to do their best,” Desrosiers said.