Initial New Resident Research

The primary objective of the initial research, or Buffalo Commons, was to identify potentially successful strategies for residential recruitment and retention in less populated rural areas. The area chosen for this initial research was the eleven-western most counties of Nebraska, also known as the Panhandle (Buffalo Commons). This objective was accomplished through analyzed information collected from households in Nebraska that had chosen to relocate to this eleven-county area.

Five Objectives Completed:

  1. Areas of in-migration both within Nebraska's western eleven counties and the surrounding areas were identified using secondary data and computer mapping technology (GIS).
  2. A detailed profile of recent in-migrants was created using primary data with a special emphasis on the amenities, recruitment strategies, and/or economic and social characteristics influencing the in-migrants' decision to relocate.
  3. A catalog of various strategies, that had been designed to attract new residents to rural areas, along with information determining the extent to which these strategies worked, was identified and created for the rural Great Plains area (Nebraska, Colorado, Kansas, South Dakota and Wyoming).
  4. Recruitment tactics were identified that positively/negatively impacted new resident relocation decisions, as well as factors encouraging/discouraging the retention of new residents.
  5. "Best Practice" residential recruitment and retention strategies, focusing on enhancing the success and value of residential recruitment, were recommended for the areas based on the results found in objectives 1-4.

Original Buffalo Commons Research Objectives

Outcomes

Relocation to the Buffalo Commons Powerpoint:
Using a marketing approach to understand residential decisions among migrants to Nebraska's Panhandle