opinion

What does Asheville offer to young adults?

When it comes to twenty-somethings and their lives, opinions are not scarce. The phrase "failure to launch" is used all too frequently and blame is often shifted around until its owner is nowhere to be found. However, this phrase is somewhat fitting for many young Asheville residents. The city of young dreamers is what I often refer to it as. Just walk downtown on a Friday night and you will find bars and restaurants filled with aspiring musicians and performers all thinking this is their break, this is how they will pay their bills until they are six feet under. Or pretty women and rugged men hustling expensive beers, living off tips. The city profits off this energy, but is it paying off?

The job market is saturated with minimum wage and dead end positions. Something many young adults see here as a stepping stone — however, they never take the leap. Ambition and daydreaming are rampant but the drive to put action plans into motion are lacking. Many would assume this is solely stemming from the individuals and their own personal wants and needs, but the question begs to be asked, "What does Asheville offer to young adults?"

The city is a cultural whirlpool and the nightlife is equally exciting for all ages but the traditional 9-to-5 jobs young people are looking for are not to be found. A generation ago, college graduates were turning down jobs and negotiating their salaries, now our generation is just begging for a salary. For young adults in the city who want to play their guitar and live off tips, they have found their home, but others who want stability and growth in a career, are not finding that.

A factor in this is high rent. While the housing market has seen a huge burst in sales recently, problems remain for young adults just looking to place a roof over their head. The cost of rent is increasingly high and with scarce options, many are forced to move to outlying cities for more budget-friendly homes, thus causing the price of rent to remain high. Many temporary solutions have been put in place with new apartment complexes and townhomes being built, but when the average young adult is only making a few dollars more than minimum wage, they still cannot afford these newer additions.

Economic hardships are not a new concept, many young adults are facing these problems every day, in every city, but the opportunity for growth is still a problem at the forefront.

Charlotte has business, Durham and Wake Forest have medicine and Raleigh has engineering, but Asheville's profits primarily come from tourism, a market not driven by local residents. The city is flooded with young adults and their dreams, but the struggle for the young qualified working adults is ever increasing. We want to live and work in a city that we believe in, but the ever-increasing rent and decreasing job market may eventually drive us out.

Lauryn Higgins, an Asheville resident, provides solid business experience in journalism and social media, while enjoying both the high country outdoors and the downtown social scene.