Strom Center Blog

Can Satellite Internet Decrease Rural Flight In South Dakota?

Looking at the statistics, South Dakota is one of the states with very low population density. When this knowledge is paired with the fact that South Dakota has always been a strong agricultural state, it is not difficult to see that many people in this state traditionally lived in rural areas. This has been changing over the last few decades, the change being apparent in rural flight that still keeps occurring throughout South Dakota. Out of sixty six counties, forty four of them have been suffering from the loss of population – and most of these counties were rural. On the other hand, the Sioux Falls area, some larger counties, and Indian reservations have gained population. Overall, there is an increase of population at the state level, but we have to ask ourselves – could rural flight itself eventually become a problem? And what could be the reasons for this rural flight? We know the reason isn’t the lack of Internet, since Rural Satellite Internet can be easily obtained even in the most rural areas of South Dakota.

However, it seems that the cause of rural flight lies in technological development after all.

Modernization within the agricultural industry brought a great decrease in the number of farm jobs, prompting a significant number of people to move away and look for the jobs in urban areas. And indeed, despite the fact that a large share of South Dakota’s income comes from the agriculture, barely 10% of the population works in the agricultural sector! Those who still work on the farms are lucky to have Rural Satellite Internet at hand, helping them to connect with their friends and family that might be living in the big cities.

Historically agriculture held an important place in South Dakota’s economy. Among main agricultural products in South Dakota are corn, cattle and wheat.  In modern age, the service industry became the largest economic contributor, although agriculture still remains significant. Tourism also holds an important place in South Dakota’s economy, some of the main reasons for that being Deadwood and Mount Rushmore, as well as a number of national parks. Another big tourist attraction is the annual Sturgis Motorcycle Rally, an event which lasts for five days and is known to draw a huge audience. Hundreds of thousands of people gather to watch this event every year.

In the end, we can conclude that although South Dakota does not entirely depend on the farm industry from its rural areas anymore, this still remains a highly valuable part of South Dakota’s economy. Further modernization of this industry might affect the future patterns of rural flight. It is possible that some advantages brought to those living on the farms – such as Rural Satellite Internet – can encourage part of the population to remain in the rural areas, but it is a fact that population migrations will mainly depend on the trends in the local economy. However, it would be a pity if rural flight continued to the extent to where all those serene landscapes didn’t have anyone to admire their beauty anymore.

Second Homes – The Economic Impact on Rural Communities

There is concern in some quarters that second homes have a negative impact on the economy of rural communities. In some parts of the UK, local strength of feeling about this has occasionally erupted into arson, for example, with a number of second homes being burned down in Wales.
 
The main issues that create controversy are twofold. Firstly, there is the argument that second home owners drive up prices in rural areas, pushing them out of the reach of local people and exacerbating the problem that there is not enough affordable housing for low income local families. This is clearly an area that needs a balanced approach and well thought out strategy to help solve this very real issue.
 
The second common concern is that second houses are unoccupied for a large part of the year and this deprives local businesses of potential custom, sometimes badly affecting their viability.

Another aspect of this is that local schools can become short of children, sometimes forcing local schools to close. Indeed, on some areas very popular with second home owners, the area can feel like a ghost town out of season, without the community vitality and vibrant local economy that characterises some other rural areas.
 
The problems seem to be focused on highly localised rural and coastal areas, the kind of attractive areas that are popular for second homes. For example, in North Cornwall, one in three properties is thought to be a second home or holiday home,
 
In general, the more remote rural areas have the greatest concentrations of second homes as a proportion of all the housing stock, intensifying the problem of creating a sustainable and robust local community with a thriving local economy..  
 
Although second and holiday homes contribute to an uplift in property prices in rural areas, it is important not to view their economic impact in isolation from other factors contributing to changes within rural communities and especially pressures on local housing markets from other groups such as commuters, retirees, or people wanting a lifestyle change. 
 
One way that second home owners can help avoid any negative economic impacts on the local community is to maximise the extent to which the second home does not stand empty.
 
By renting  a second home out as a holiday home for part of the year, when it is not in use by the owner’s family, it ensures that money is brought into the local economy as the family renting the holiday home will inevitably spend money in the local shops, restaurants and at local attractions. This is clearly a positive impact on the local economy and far better for the local community than having a second home stand empty. 
 
Yet many owners of second homes resist renting out their home to holidaymakers.
There are a wide variety of reasons for this. It is often not as simple as whether or not the owner of a second home would like to make a profitable return on their property. 
 
 Some second home owners simply do not want strangers in their home and this is a strongly felt emotion they are not likely to overcome.
 
Others do not want to get involved in what they see as complex property management issues, involving a lot of work and practical difficulty. For these owners, the answer is often to hire a holiday homes services specialist that can take away the hassle and arrange everything on their behalf, making the whole process of renting out a holiday home very straightforward.
 
If a holiday homes services specialist is engaged, they can arrange all aspects of property management, cleaning services and key holder services as well as sometimes a holiday concierge service. This means that the second home owner can benefit from a stream of income from the property, all the gain without the pain.
 
In addition, the impact on the local economy is positive as the holiday home rentals bring money into the local shops, restaurants and attractions as well as necessitating the employment of local trades people, such as plumbers, electricians, painters and carpenters.
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The impacts, both positive and negative, of second homes and holiday homes touch on a diverse range of factors that affect the sustainability of rural communities. 
 
One thing is clear – renting out a second home as a holiday home has a more positive impact on the local economy than leaving it standing empty for long periods.