Presque Isle and an interview with Trey Stewart
More Millennial’s moving to small towns for a better quality of life
A modern millennial perspective from Trey Stewart
As Millennial’s are starting families, they are discovering that priorities are changing. With children, their desire to settle down and find a better quality of life that is affordable and safe continues to grow. In addition, some recent federal data shows “millennials are struggling financially. As Federal Reserve researchers wrote in a 2018 paper, “Millennials are less well off than members of earlier generations when they were young, with lower earnings, fewer assets, and less wealth.”v. How can they attain a better quality of life with these challenges? 
A recent article[i] in Public Broadcasting said, “A 2018 Gallup poll found that, while 80 percent of all Americans live in urban areas, rural life is most desired. All this is fueling migration to” smaller cities and small towns. One Millennial mom explained, “I live five minutes from here. My day care is five minutes from here. So I can run out of here at 5:20. I can pick up my kids and go home for dinner and be home at 5:35. And I know my good friends that live in Seattle that, logistically, is so much more challenging. So, I think the quality of life here is just — it’s just easier.” Sky-high home prices in larger cities also prevent young millennial families from living the American dream. Also, wouldn’t a young family love to find a nice house in a small town with land for the kids to play for $150,000 instead of $850,000 in the greater New York or Washington DC areas?
Thus, we are starting to see a resurgence of people recognizing the value of small town life in America. In this article, we explore the values, qualities and experiences that make small town living desirable and why people might consider moving to a small town. We also had the opportunity to talk with an emerging star; a millennial leader, who shared his experiences growing up in the small Maine town of Presque Isle, northern Maine and how that shaped his career and success.
The Beginning
We can look at history to explain the root causes of migration. It was 400 years ago
when the Pilgrims made the perilous voyage from England to the new world to seek a better life and it has continued ever since. When you read about the Pilgrims (or exiles as some call them), their major motivation for risking the dangerous trip across the ocean was a better life for their children.
In American culture, most people still believe that the small town represents the heart and soul of our country; where “everyone knows your name and has your back”. A perfect example is the small town of Presque Isle in northern Maine, population, about 9000. It is easier to understand what makes small towns great if you understand a little about the history and the people who settled them.
According to Kimberly R. Sebold, Ph.D.[1], “the area that is now Presque Isle received its first settlers in 1819. Aroostook County was officially established in 1839. She also writes, “Harsh climate, boundary disputes, and isolation from markets deepened the frontier experience of settlers in northern Maine. Despite these trials, settlers continued to come to the area so that by 1859, the state legislature agreed to the incorporation of Presque Isle as a town.”
Julia Bailey[1] wrote, “The city started out on April 4, 1859, as Fairbanks in honor of founder Dennis Fairbanks. The name later changed to Presque Isle in recognition of its geographic location between the Aroostook River and Presque Isle Stream. In French, Presque Isle means “almost an Island.”
Life on the northern frontier was hard with bitter cold winters, few roads, neighbors miles apart, floods, and survival living. The ancestors of Aroostook County citizens were extremely tough, independent and resilient. However, they worked hard and persevered to build a better life, developing strong communities with a high quality of life, good education, safety and security, where neighbors help neighbors to build a better life for their families. We would say that this represents the American dream.
Economic Decline of Small Towns:
Northern Maine was booming with the logging industry and paper mills, a large, vibrant Air force base, and the potato industry. However, in the 1960’s, the government closed the base. Then, many of the paper mills closed, and there was increased competition in the agricultural sector. Small towns suffered with many of its young people leaving for jobs in cities inside and outside of Maine. This led to a continuing decline in population and some deterioration of the small towns.
Some say that small towns are doomed to decline since many young people leave home for larger cities and more perceived opportunities. In addition, the decline becomes more severe when existing service or even manufacturing businesses cannot find skilled, qualified workers to keep them going. However, the Covid-19 pandemic is changing the way people live and work, resulting in potential new opportunities for small towns and Millennials.
This trends is even more severe in northern New England. Sullivan with the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston wrote, “Among the populations of all US states, those of Maine, New Hampshire, and Vermont have the top-three highest median ages, respectively. The situation is even more extreme in northern New England’s rural counties, where the populations of the smallest towns generally are substantially older than those of the rest of the region. These communities also have seen the slowest, or even negative, population growth over the last three decades. As the populations of the rural regions become older and smaller, policymakers are concerned about the ability of the local communities to maintain their labor force, sustain local businesses and the tax base, and provide care for the growing number of senior residents. ” vi.
New Opportunities:
America is changing in many ways, with digital transformation, a new service economy and the opportunity for increased tourism, small businesses/ entrepreneurs, and even manufacturing.
A recent Dow Jones article[ii] explored the ways that small towns are trying to reinvent themselves. One major lesson learned was not to become overly dependent on just one industry such as the paper mills. In contrast, many are trying to diversify their economies. One strategy has been to bring in smaller businesses such as a data processing firm or a call center. An economic development person stated that he is trying to bring in 10 businesses that hire 50 people instead of one business that hires 500.
However, another interesting trend shown in a Wall Street Journal article[iii], revealed that for the past 4 years, thousands of Millennials have been leaving cities for small town life. Surveys of these people show that they move for a better quality of life, lower cost of living and the desire to raise their family in a safe place with good education. The digital transformation of the country has led to many freelancers, who can work from anywhere. In addition, an interesting and
perhaps unexpected consequence of the Covid-19 pandemic has shown that many people can work from home , and thus, from anywhere that has a decent internet connection, enabling this new resettling of small towns. This was reinforced by an article in the Bangor Daily News [vii] which said, “most of the interest is coming from people in the eastern U.S., specifically New York, New Jersey, Boston, Detroit and parts of Florida. In many cases, those people have some form of connection to the state, whether it’s a direct connection such as having grown up in Maine or having relatives here, or a more indirect one such as having been on a vacation to the state once or twice.” “Why live in an expensive apartment in New York when you could live in Maine and spend a much smaller fraction of your income on housing for more space and land?” “we may end up seeing the rise of telecommuting being a permanent change in how people work.”
Small town life offers a quality of life not available in the cities. Buying a home still represents the American dream. Currently, the median price of a home in the greater Boston area is $645,000, $652,000 in NYC/ suburbs, $344,000 in Portland, Maine, and $115,000 in Presque Isle, Maine. (source Zillow.com)
Jonathan West[iv] says that other reasons millennial’s are moving to small towns include:
- “Small towns can offer refuge from an otherwise frightening, ruthless and fast paced world. Starting new lives in areas that allow you to have time to “stop and smell the roses” can allow the self-focused millennials to improve their overall quality of life.”
- Many millennials have huge student loans to repay and very little savings. A small town has lower costs in rent, food, and utilities, allowing them to pay down debt, buy a home and live the American dream.
- “According to Small Business Trends, 58% of millennials consider themselves entrepreneurs.” In a small town, there is less competition and lower rents plus the opportunity to leverage online business opportunities with the lower overhead.
- Long commutes in cities with “soul-crushing” traffic increases stress and reduces time with family and friends.
- The quality of life with less stress, getting out of the “rat race”, and enjoying the fresh air, nature, and slower pace of life can indeed be a lifesaver.
What does this mean for small towns across the country? Is it possible to revitalize them?
Trey Stewart; a modern perspective:
Presque Isle is a perfect case study of a small town that is struggling to survive and redefine itself. By understanding how to do this, we see opportunities for many small towns to do the same.
We were fortunate to talk with Mr. Trey (Harold) Stewart III, a native son of this lovely small town. He is also an extraordinary young leader and as you will see, he brings his valuable millennial perspective with his amazing experiences and insights. Here is his story:
Learning values of hard work, integrity, community
Trey was born and raised in Presque Isle; a 4th generation Aroostook County, 3rd generation Presque Isle native. When he was still in high school, he was very engaged with the community as a Volunteer fire fighter and volunteer for many different organizations. Therefore, he lived and breathed the values, challenges and life of Presque Isle. Being an integral part of the community was everywhere.
His mother owned a sporting goods business and was always involved with community activities and events. His dad was practicing law and was also very engaged in the community, so he grew up with the notion that there was always something to do- give back while having fun. He learned that you should give back, which becomes part of who you are. Hard work had been instilled through multiple generations with many small businesses. Some family had a lot of education; some did not. However, everyone was always working hard; grandmother, mom, dad, etc. There was a solid ethic of hard work.
He says that in Presque isle, civic organizations are second to none. Very rarely are folks involved in just one thing. There is a lot of overlap in boards, organizations, or events being planned. Unfortunately, many folks are moving- especially the grandkids.
“It takes a village”. Trey has memories of going home after school or just going anywhere- to friend’s houses, to play somewhere, rec sports, where parents would take turns driving kids, bringing snacks, etc. You never really noticed the differences in status or wealth. Everyone was friends and on the same page. You could go on your bike anywhere- still can. It was and is one of the safest communities in the state because everyone still knows everyone and the community trust is still there. You don’t have to lock your car or home.
In his senior year of high school, he wanted to play football, but would need to attend a larger high school with a larger team. Therefore, he transferred to Mt Desert high school and played football there for a year. This was the first taste of leaving the County and he was happy when the coach there said, “County kids have heart.”
People from the county have a great reputation for being hard working, down-to-earth, with integrity.
Family Influences
He spent a lot of time with his grandparents, who spent their lives in the County. “Grandfather was very involved in the community- was a lawyer; joined the navy at 16 to fight in WW II; came back, went to UMaine, and graduated. The Korean war had broken out, so he joined the Army as a LT; came back, went to law school at Georgetown on the GI bill and worked part time to guard the atomic energy room. Came back and practiced in the county his whole career.”
After serving in the legislature, his grandfather was on the Governor’s council (now the legislative council, which Trey now serves on as a member of legislative leadership). This was during the Curtis administration in the 1970’s. At this time, the council was all Republican and Maine in general was a very Republican state, though it was starting to shift. His grandfather was a Republican, but was able to work with the Democratic governor as a member of the council. The moral of this story is that the values of trust respect and communication learned by growing up in a small town were the key factors in getting things accomplished across the aisle.
Trey’s dad also went to the University of Maine, earning a degree in chemical engineering, After college, he worked for a chemical plant for a while in the mid-west, but then returned home, went to law school, practiced in the County and was selected as a Maine Superior Court Judge. He also exemplified the values of hard work, community engagement and integrity.
Developing leadership qualities
Trey attended the University of Maine, was elected student body president, and was engaged in many clubs and activities on and off the campus. While serving as University student body President, he decided to run for Maine House of Representatives against a two-term incumbent. However, he studied the issues and noticed a mismatch between values of Presque Isle and current representative. Based on his engagement with Aroostook county growing up and his diligence in studying and understanding what people wanted, his message was “jobs, family, future”, and he won the election!
As the youngest member of the Maine State legislature, he learned quickly from some good mentors, volunteered, joined committees and learned the ropes. While in the legislature, he returned to the University of Maine for his MBA. During this time, he was on the education committee. He was also in his final MBA class in business management and wrote his research paper about leadership, interviewing as many leaders as possible from the state legislature, the Governor, speaker of house, and other from the public and private sectors. This research paper helped him reflect and learn about the qualities that make good leaders. These included being a good listener and really learning about people and what was important to them. The morale of this story is that great leaders are genuinely interested in helping others and making a difference. They also learn to work collaboratively and listen; again, traits learned while growing up in a small town.
Why he loves life in a small town
Presque Isle is the best place to raise a family. Salaries are also deceptive because you can make a large salary in Boston, but it won’t get you far. In Presque Isle, you can have a more modest income and a much better quality of life. Plus, if you want a baby-sitter, there is a friend to sit for you.
According to Trey, “The single most important thing is community support- your social network, which is really strong here. You will not have that in a bigger town/city. A lot of folks will not find a city an attractive place to raise a family. You can buy a nice house with land, you get to live out the American dream it can still be done. If someone grows up with Aroostook county values, they will be successful in anything they do.”
Places he loves and things to do in this small town
“If somebody has a camp, the lakes during the summer are great. Most towns have a public beach. Presque Isle has a splash pad (like a water park), and a rec center. The Nordic Heritage center is beautiful- winter- tubing, skiing, snowshoeing; summer- biking, immaculate trails, events; great place for weddings, brew fests. Snowmobile and ATV trails – thousands of miles. Hunting, fishing- Rivers, lakes, Presque Isle fish and game club, top of the line skeet shooting range. There are good restaurants- such as one run by a former famous chef. There are nice cabins along the lake, the Northeastern hotel, which is 100 years old, and more. He says it is funny that all kids think there is nothing to do where they grow up, but once you leave a place like Presque Isle and return, you realize just how many great things there are to do.
Some of the challenges for Presque Isle and most small towns 
“We don’t have a “club scene” for younger folks. Someone’s life stage makes a difference. Dating may be a little difficult since there are not a lot of young people.”
It is difficult to demonstrate the opportunity that exists in a way that comes off as genuine. There is plenty of employment opportunity here; many people are getting ready to retire, so there will be many great professional jobs.
Not having young people puts more pressure on the people who stay; makes it more expensive to pay for all of the services. This is pervasive across the state.
This pandemic is showing people that it is attractive to live in a place like Presque Isle rather than NYC. It takes a crisis to make people realize that the quality of life is important, especially if you have kids.”
What changes would you make and why?
Create awareness- advertising the benefits- so that people recognize the opportunities and the quality of life, especially families.
Collaborate with places that do not have the housing to accommodate families- have people work remotely; work with businesses to let employees know about these opportunities. There is the ability to travel when needed. You can be a business professional here and still be able to walk outside your door and experience all the benefits of small town life, top-notch education at a public school, where your kids can play competitive sports, but it is not overwhelming. Kids have a chance to do things here that they would not be able to in a large city and large school. Many great clubs at a public school that anyone can join. If you work hard and pick up values, you will succeed.
Therefore, the biggest issue is creating awareness about this and other beautiful small towns and the opportunities for raising a family, having a great quality of life, and living the American dream.
References:
[i] Why millennials are moving away from large urban centers, Dec 2, 2019 6:30 PM EDT, https://www.pbs.org/newshour/show/why-millennials-are-moving-away-from-large-urban-centers
[ii] Maine’s Mill Towns Search for New Life, Dow Jones Institutional News ; New York [New York]02 Oct 2018
[iii] Cross Country: Millennials Are Coming to America’s Small Towns. Farmer, Liz . Wall Street Journal , Eastern edition; New York, N.Y. [New York, N.Y]12 Oct 2019: A.13.
[iv] Jonathan West, “Reasons More Millennials Are Moving to Small Towns”, https://www.sparefoot.com/self-storage/blog/22586-10-reasons-millennials-moving-small-towns/
[v] Ashley Fuoco Antonelli, “Millennials are sicker and poorer than prior generations.”, https://www.advisory.com/daily-briefing/2020/01/17/milennials-weekly-line January 17, 2020.
[vi.] Riley Sullivan, “Aging and Declining Populations in Northern New England”, https://www.bostonfed.org/publications/new-england-public-policy-center-regional-briefs/2019/aging-and-declining-populations-in-northern-new-england.aspx July 17, 2019.
[vii] [iv] Emily Burnham, “More people from coronavirus hot spots are moving to Maine”, Bangor Daily News, https://bangordailynews.com/2020/06/19/business/people-from-coronavirus-hot-spots-have-their-eyes-on-maine/, June 19,2020.