Rural Communities

"Businesspeople have come to the conclusion that they need the universities, not just their graduates," says Anton Cizmar, vice rector of the Technical University of Kosice. "I think it’s a miracle what has happened here."

"If you invest in the university system and support research in areas of interest, students will naturally gravitate into those areas," says Mr. Pashupathy of Google, which opened its Krakow lab earlier this year. "It’s a nice circle which ultimately benefits everybody."

In the first half of the 21st century, as the nation grows from 300 toward 400 million people, Aurora and other places in the American Heartland will provide a critical outlet for the restless energies and entrepreneurial passions of its people.

"Before I was working so hard just to get ahead. I wasn’t home enough. [We] came here and the cost of living is lower and there’s more stuff we can do together."

How do you explain Bozeman’s spectacular boom? My response to this often asked question—“Why are you here?” After a moment of self-reflection, the usual answer provided is, “We decided this would be a great place to live.”

Saying yes to a job in a small town when you live in a big city — or vice versa — involves big changes and may require sacrifices. Weigh factors such as cultural offerings, sports and recreation opportunities, traffic and the pace of life. Even "the weather can really influence people’s happiness," says Ms. Moore of Johns Hopkins. The question: Can you live with the differences?

Commuting can be stressful and time-consuming. Here are some ideas to make your daily commute more interesting and comfortable:

Political and business leaders in metro areas increasingly view traffic congestion as hurting their ability to compete with other regions for new businesses and young professionals.

Affinity marketing programs are being done in many regions around the country. The concept is pretty straightforward: If you recruit people to bring their businesses to the community who already share a passion for the community’s values, they will be more likely to share that sense of community.

"The catch is we need people with aptitude to do sophisticated assembly work, and sometimes we don’t know if they’ll work out until we try them."

"A community that has talented people will draw work to itself."