Michigan is bleeding twentysomethings at an unprecedented rate. According to data from Zillow, the state lost nearly 3,000 Gen Zers in 2022. That was the most severe decline in the country. In fact, it was the only decline. Even Maryland, the second worst performing state, still managed to gain 600 members of this cohort.

Young people want to be near other young people. You rarely see 21-year-olds at the same bar as 50-year-olds. If a community only has the latter, its youth will move somewhere that offers the former. That's why college towns like Ann Arbor remain popular with Gen Zers even after they graduate. There's an energy in the air you don't find in older communities.

There's no single solution—state and local policy certainly have roles to play—but there are a few ways Michigan communities can appeal to youth culture. I recently turned 20, and I will be returning to college at the end of August. When I catch up with my peers, I'm sure many of them will use the word "boring" to describe their summer breaks. Here are some areas communities can work on to avoid that label.

Third Places

"Third places" refer to somewhere other than your workplace or home you can go to hang out. Young people don't yet have families to occupy their time—they want things to do and places to go with their friends and partners. The living room couch doesn't always cut it for a guys' night, and the kitchen counter doesn't make for a romantic date.

However, a pub with pool tables and darts, or a café with board games and comfortable seating, are perfect for these gatherings.

Public spaces can be third places, too. A town square with games like cornhole or Jenga gives young people something to do without spending money. A park with tables is the perfect environment to have a picnic or toss a ball around. Third places like these are especially important because they appeal to Gen-Zers without excluding older residents.

Nightlife 

Third places get harder to come by when it gets late. When my friends and I head back to our hometown during the summer, we find ourselves spending more Friday nights in South Lyon than we do in Northville, our own community. That's because the coffee shop is open until 11 p.m.! Or, if we feel like eating a full meal, we go to the 24-hour diner in Plymouth. 

Towns that shut down with the sun aren't inviting to people my age. There's nothing wrong with a sleepy little village, but it should offer younger people somewhere to go after dark. Whether that's a bar, a bowling alley, a movie theater, or something else depends on the community.  

Relevant Social Offerings

I enjoy people-watching. When my community hosts a fair or farmers market, I notice that most of the attendees are above the age of 40 or under the age of 10. My high school graduating class had more than 500 people in it, yet only a handful of them come to these events. That represents a struggle to appeal to younger residents—one that I'd imagine many villages and cities in Michigan share.

The problem isn't that younger people aren't interested in community events. It's that the community events aren't interesting to younger people. We like music, comedy, and art created by and appealing to us. A good rule of thumb: If you're planning a community event, consider whether you would have a good time there if you were in your twenties. That doesn't mean every social offering needs to be tailored to Gen Zers, but it does mean at least some of them do.

Interesting Food & Retail

On Bleecker Street in Manhattan, you can find a tattoo parlor, a leather goods store, a Chinese restaurant, a comedy club, a bar, and a florist all within a five-minute walk of each other. The combination of businesses is bizarre, but that's what makes it work! Even in Marquette, a pedestrian can pass a retro and vintage boutique shop, several gift shops, a game store, a jewelry store, and multiple restaurants in that same five minutes.

Main streets that only have coffee shops and diners don't excite Gen Z. Variety does. There's adventure in walking down strange roads with strange retail. Even a single destination store is better than nothing. When my friends and I go to Disc Replay, a game store in Livonia, we still end up eating at nearby restaurants or shopping at nearby stores. Getting weird with retail or food excites and entices Gen Z in a way that can't be matched.

Few communities can match the excitement of Manhattan or even a college town, but there are steps every community can take to make its younger residents feel more welcome. Third places (especially those with late hours), social offerings, Gen Z–friendly environments, and interesting retail and food options are well within the reach of most towns and cities in this state.

None of these will solve Michigan's demographic stagnation overnight, but they're a start. Students shouldn't have to count down the days until they can leave their hometowns. If they're doing that, you can be sure that they're counting the days until they can leave for good.

Michigan can do better, and that starts with small steps at the local level.

Author

Jack Brady

I am a sophomore at the University of Michigan majoring in economics and political science. I am currently a senior editor for the Michigan Daily Opinion Section. In my free time, I do stand up comedy at local open mics.