Every bird must leave the nest. Whether it’s to another part of town, another city, state or even another country, leaving home is an inevitable part of adulthood. This is no different in Altoona, as many students express the desire to leave the Blair County area.

In a recent survey, 54.6% of the 388 respondents answered they wanted to leave Blair County. 

One factor contributing to this is job opportunities.

“I would rather live somewhere else, such as a bigger city, due to there often being more job opportunities,” senior Reyna Ospina-Nunes said. “Blair County, since it’s smaller, might not have many.”

“Whenever I get older, I want to move to North Carolina,” sophomore Kelsey Focht said. “They have a lot of opportunities, and whenever I’m older I want to own my own business. If I go down to North Carolina, I probably would get more business since it’s so populated down there, and there’s a lot of things to go out and do.”

There are still a good number of students who wish to stay in the region, as 21.6% of the students responded they would like to live in Blair County in the future.

“I would stay in Blair County because I was raised here as well as it would be smarter financially due to the lower cost of living,” junior Judah Curry said.

23.7% of students responded they are still unsure as to whether or not they would like to stay in Blair County. Students have suggested that the region has to offer more for young adults to be more enticed to stay.

“Maybe some remote work opportunities or financial perks to stay,” Ospina-Nunes said. “Also maybe upgrading the downtown scene to give it a more fun, city vibe.”

“I think for Altoona to be worth staying at, there has to be some kind of major growth,” junior Jackson Sipes said. “I don’t know what that growth would be, but I know the people my age are scrambling to leave because it [Altoona] feels like a dead end.”