Dispatches: Long Island's "Brain Drain"

Danielle Valente plans to leave Long Island when she graduates from Manhattan College a year from now. She won’t be alone.

When asked if she knows anybody in her age group who plans to make a go of it on  Long Island, the 21-year-old senior from North Massapequa quickly says.” I don’t.”

“Everybody is gravitating towards Manhattan or going back to their home-towns. Most people I know from in and around this area don’t really want to stay,”

It’s not that Valente dislikes the her lifelong home. In fact she says,” Long Island’s been great.”

 “I love it, but I would like to see what else is out there.”

While a college education is meant to create new paths for graduates, more and more that path does not seem to lead to Long Island for those entering the job market. 

Nassau County lost 26,902 residents in the 25 to 34 age group from 2000-2009 according to economist Dr. Pearl Kamer.

“We’re losing young people, particularly those ages 25 to 44, and that’s the prime working age group,” she said.

“We’re losing young people because we don’t have the affordable housing they need. We don’t have some of the cool downtowns that people like to live in.”

For Valente, a journalism major, currently interning at Harper’s Bazaar magazine, Long Island just can’t compete with New York City.

“I’ve always thought I’d like to live in an urban community,” she said.

“I’d like to live in Manhattan, and if not in Manhattan, somewhere in and around the area, maybe Brooklyn, maybe Queens.”

Valente said that Long Island is just not attractive to her age group.

“It’s expensive,” she said. “not that Manhattan or any of the other areas aren’t. But I just feel it’s a little bit more of a younger community outside of Long Island.”

The lack of jobs and affordable housing are two prime reasons that younger people are staying away from Long Island according to Valente.

She has looked into jobs and internships in the area, but didn’t see many solid leads. She also said she knew of very few people her age who could find a white collar job on Long Island.

“I don’t really see that much for entry level positions,” she said. “I’ve been looking more for internships because I have one more year of college left, and I really see nothing.”

Valente believes that more companies need to come to the area in order to make Long Island more attractive to younger people. She says that companies and organizations that are looking to hire, should advertise online more.

She also said there needs to be “more reasonable living arrangements.”

 “There aren’t that many apartment complexes on Long island,” she said. “You have to live in a section of a house, or like the basement of somebody’s house, so its kind of hard for kids, who are just starting out.”

Valente said that one way to keep younger people on Long Island would be to build apartments rather than homes.

“People my age are more likely to find a couple of people that they’re close with and try to look for an apartment,” she said.

“It’s a lot more realistic than trying to look for a house.”

While young people like Valente tend not to stay on Long Island, the good news is the departure may not always be permanent.

Valente said she’d consider returning to the area to raise a family.

“Yes definitely, I’d want them to have a back yard and I’d want them to grow up the same way I did.