The Reno Gazette Journal recently posted a response to this The Atlantic article documenting a “Brain Drain†in Reno. In short, The Atlantic claims that demographic data collected from the 2012 Census shows that Reno had a net loss of college grads and a net gain of high school dropouts. If you haven’t read it, I recommend it.
So do we suffer from brain drain or not? Personal experience says yes.  When I graduated from Reno High, I only applied to private colleges in large cities. I attended the University of Portland (in Portland, Oregon of course) and did not bother to come back to Reno during summers. When I graduated I looked toward Seattle, San Francisco, and Chicago for jobs.
Short story: I did not find any jobs in the big cities. And then somehow Reno came back into the picture. Another alumni of UP called me and offered me a job back home. I was reluctant but moved down last Labor Day to start. I did not know if I wanted to be here at first… But my fear that the quality of life here would not match Portland was misplaced. The company I work for is creative, wonderful mountain biking trails abound, and a resurgent Midtown offers great modern fare (Rubicon Deli is quite good.)
What’s most telling is that people who moved to Reno from larger cities love this place. You know how locals gush about other cities? Well I know for a fact that Portlanders gush about Reno.
So again, is there a brain drain? Probably. But is it for the right reasons? Probably not.
Ryan Chien is the Marketing Specialist for a team within Guild Mortgage Company. He is a graduate of the University of Portland and holds dual degrees in Economics and Sustainable Marketing. In his off time, Ryan can be found mountain biking, drinking too much coffee, and sampling beer at local breweries.
Ryan’s views do not necessarily reflect those of Guild Mortgage Company.
