Despite the fact that Morgan County already has a workforce that is well educated and specialized for the agri-manufacturing, a large portion of this workforce commutes out of the county. Although these commuters bring money back into the county, the coinciding brain drain of people from the county can damage the local economy. In 2014, Morgan County had roughly 5,700 commuters leaving the county daily, while only about 4,150 commuted from elsewhere to Morgan County (On The Map 2016). About 4,000 of these commuter’s head west toward the Front Range, where there is more reliable broadband (On the Map 2016). Within the county, 35% of jobs are held by citizens of different counties, and 42% of Morgan County’s citizens commute out of the county for work (Community Profiles 2016). If extended broadband services could be implemented into Morgan County, these commuters would stay in the county for work and begin their own businesses in Morgan County. While this would lead to less workers bringing dollars into the county from neighboring areas, these new businesses would create jobs within Morgan County. These jobs will supply more locals with work and encourage more workers to move to the county, thus leading to an increase in local revenue--and local spending. With broadband access, Morgan County will also draw in proprietors, location based neutral and location neutral employees from the more expensive Front Range, who would provide another boost in local spending and job growth. V. Conclusion
Despite the fact that Morgan County already has a workforce that is well educated and specialized for the agri-manufacturing, a large portion of this workforce commutes out of the county. Although these commuters bring money back into the county, the coinciding brain drain of people from the county can damage the local economy. In 2014, Morgan County had roughly 5,700 commuters leaving the county daily, while only about 4,150 commuted from elsewhere to Morgan County (On The Map 2016). About 4,000 of these commuter’s head west toward the Front Range, where there is more reliable broadband (On the Map 2016). Within the county, 35% of jobs are held by citizens of different counties, and 42% of Morgan County’s citizens commute out of the county for work (Community Profiles 2016). If extended broadband services could be implemented into Morgan County, these commuters would stay in the county for work and begin their own businesses in Morgan County. While this would lead to less workers bringing dollars into the county from neighboring areas, these new businesses would create jobs within Morgan County. These jobs will supply more locals with work and encourage more workers to move to the county, thus leading to an increase in local revenue--and local spending. With broadband access, Morgan County will also draw in proprietors, location based neutral and location neutral employees from the more expensive Front Range, who would provide another boost in local spending and job growth. V. Conclusion
Morgan-Paper.docx