Last edited Mon Feb 9, 2026, 04:24 PM - Edit history (2)
It's in The Crescent News
Leaving Defiance County
I am one of many young adults who plan to leave Defiance County as soon as I am able. That decision did not come lightly, but it has become clear.
People often ask why so many young adults leave small towns like ours. The answer is not complicated. It is not just about jobs. It is about mindset.
Defiance has built a culture that resists growth while simultaneously complaining about stagnation. New ideas are often treated as threats. Different perspectives are labeled as disruptive. Progress is framed as unnecessary change. When a community repeatedly chooses the same leadership, the same priorities, and the same narrow vision for its future, it should not be surprised when nothing improves.
Young professionals notice when opportunity feels limited. They notice when innovation is discouraged. They notice when conversations about economic diversification, inclusivity, or modernization are dismissed before they can even happen. And they notice when frustration about wages, affordability and quality of life is directed outward rather than inward.
We cannot keep making the same civic and cultural choices and expect different outcomes. We cannot resist change and then wonder why growth never arrives. Communities reflect the values they consistently reward. If conformity is more comfortable than curiosity, and tradition is valued more than forward thinking, then ambition will always feel out of place.
Living in a place that feels small-minded is exhausting. It is exhausting to watch potential leave because it cannot breathe here. It is exhausting to hear complaints about money, opportunity, and amenities from the very people who resist the shifts that could attract them.
This is not written to be polite. It is written to be honest.
If Defiance wants to stop the steady drain of talent and energy, it will have to confront a difficult truth: economic vitality and cultural openness go hand in hand. Without one, the other will never fully materialize.
Until there is a genuine willingness to expand the way this community thinks about growth, opportunity and inclusion, many of us will continue to build our futures elsewhere."
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