Focus on Gen X

Once known as the “slacker” generation, Gen Xers are now becoming the focus of many communities.  This generation, ages 25 to 40, is being targeted by communities big and small, whether to recruit newcomers, attract the ones who have left to come back home or to keep the homegrown Gen Xers from leaving. 

This generation is one who enjoys living as much as they do working.  Actually, many Gen Xers believe that work is secondary to their life outside the office.
They do not choose a profession based upon pay, but strive for creativity and flexibility.  They enjoy diverse cuisine, outdoor activities and being surrounded by family and friends.  The community in which they live is very important to them.  Charlotte and Laura Shelton, co-authors of The NeXt Revolution, say that 51% of Gen Xers would leave their current job for the chance to telecommute, therefore Xers can choose the community in which they live based on the quality of life instead of job location. 

Many Gen Xers want a community where they can be involved.  They enjoy not only the social atmosphere but they are willing to fight to keep their communities striving.  Some questions asked when Gen Xers are looking for a place to call home are: What is there to do after work? What continuing education opportunities exist? How diverse is the community? 

Rebecca Ryan of Next Generation Consulting travels around the nation presenting to and consulting with communities on what drives Generation X.  She helps these communities adapt in order to be attractive to Gen X.  She states that Gen Xers want to live in “cool communities.”  The seven indexes which constitute a “cool community” are:

1. Vitality--Parks, trails and recreational areas. 
2. Social Capital--How well do people play together? Diversified?
3. Cost of Lifestyle--Can I afford to live here?
4. After Hours--What is there to do in this town?
5. Around Town--How easy is it to get around town and out of town?
6. Earnings
7. Learnings

Consider some of these ideas to help your community become more attractive to Generation X:

• Promote the arts.  Gen Xers tend to be more open-minded and enjoy activities that expand the mind.
• Support cultural projects.  Diversity is important to Generation X.
• Rethinking Main Street.  Recreate Main Street as the premier entertainment destination with sidewalk cafés, outdoor seating and a diverse mix of spirits and dining establishments.
• Recreate the parks.  Designate a section to construct a dog park and add walking and biking trails throughout the area.   Dog parks are a huge attraction for this generation.  Since the Gen Xers are waiting until later in life to get married and have children, they tend to have dogs first.

Generation X can be marketed to in a variety of ways and will actively seek out information before making the move.   Therefore, community information should be readily available for them to obtain.   Web sites are particularly important to this generation.  Make sure you have a web presence that is up to date and your community’s information is easy to navigate and obtain.  Research what factors this generation considers when searching for a hometown and market to them accordingly.