Lower Crowds

[Lakegeezer]

Monday morning, I heard a report on NH public radio while driving home from the lake. It mentioned that NH is losing a lot of its young people because house prices were up, job opportunities were down, and night life for singles was sparse. What a change 25 years makes!

In the early 80's, high-tech jobs were plentiful in southern NH, land and houses were easy to find and priced right - especially for those on high-tech salaries. Night life was never a NH strong point, but the quality of life seemed to suit young adults - and they moved to NH in droves. That is when I found Lake Winnipesaukee. It had very clean water, and lots of undeveloped shoreline where one could "raft" and enjoy a day in the sun.

History is full of cycles. Today, high-tech jobs (or good jobs in general for that matter) are hard to find in NH, housing prices are out of sight and much of the available building land has wetlands involved. Night-life (at least in the Nashua, Manchester, Portsmouth, Concord quadrant) is much improved (although nothing like Boston). Perhaps part of the problem is a change in the appreciation of nature, along with the condition of nature. While the lake is still wonderful, the over building, weekend overcrowding, and recent floods means that it takes more effort to enjoy it.

Is today's "20 something" generation willing to put in the extra effort it takes to enjoy nature - or are they more interested in social interaction in clubs or on the internet? Gas prices, over regulation, virus laden bugs and abnormal weather patterns are not helping the lakes region sustain its level of activity - but how much impact are we seeing from the changes in choices made by the next generation of young adults? Is this a 10+ year trend or just an abnormal blip?