Rural Studies Program - Oregon State University

"Advocates for in-home child care believe expanding and investing in programs like Nelson’s could be a solution, particularly for rural areas, where many families already use informal child care because of fewer centers."

In-home child care could be solution for rural working parents Advocates for in-home child care say smaller providers could help areas that are unlikely to be served by larger child care centers.

The money is from the Community Facilities Direct Loan and Grant Program, from the USDA’s Rural Development Office, and is specifically allotted to help rural communities with populations of less than 20,000 people. Applicants can be from non-profit organizations, public offices and federally recognized tribes. The federal funding is meant to match equal funding brought to the projects by the communities themselves.

Three rural Oregon towns get federal money for community centers, fire station – Oregon Capital Chronicle Dayville, Waldport and Winston will receive $300,000 from the Department of Agriculture's Rural Development Office

"As rural towns become the new mecca for remote high-tech workers, getaway destinations for city dwellers escaping Covid, and refuges for people fleeing fire-ravaged regions, Southern Oregon’s coastal communities are collaboratively exploring emerging blue economies to create local, living-wage jobs while combating threats of climate change."

From Extraction to Sustainability: Oregon's Southern Coast and the Emerging Blue Economy - The Daily Yonder As rural towns become the new mecca for remote high-tech workers, getaway destinations for city dwellers escaping Covid, and refuges for people fleeing

"It’s curious that rural students aren’t pursuing science in greater numbers. Many rural towns rely on science-heavy fields, from agriculture and mining to forestry and manufacturing.

Scholars are trying to understand why more rural students don’t pursue studies that could lead to well-paying careers for themselves and a more productive economic future for their communities."

PROOF POINTS: Rural American students shift away from math and science during high school, study finds Only 13 percent of rural students major in math and science in college, compared with almost 17 percent of students in the suburbs.

The Rural Innovation Placemaking Challenge from USDA is currently accepting applications through July 26, 2021. This Challenge is designed to empower rural communities to develop actionable strategies to capitalize on community assets through the creation of quality public spaces that contribute to the community’s social, physical, and economic well-being. In 2020, Pennsylvania Downtown Center (PDC), the state’s Main Street Coordinating Program, was a recipient of this grant program. A year after receiving this funding, we connected with PDC to learn more about their work supported by the Rural Innovation Placemaking Challenge and their experience with the program overall.

Community Spotlight: USDA's Rural Innovation Placemaking Challenge Accepted by Pennsylvania Downtown Center Main Street America has been helping revitalize older and historic commercial districts for 40 years. Today it is a network of more than 1,200 neighborhoods and communities, rural and urban, who share both a commitment to place and to building stronger communities through preservation-based economic...

Bruce Weber, former Director of the Rural Studies Program, is quoted in this article.

https://www.nytimes.com/2021/05/21/us/oregon-idaho-secession.html

Their Own Private Idaho: Five Oregon Counties Back a Plan to Secede In nonbinding elections, parts of eastern Oregon said they wanted to join Idaho. The conservative region has long felt alienated from the liberal politics of Oregon’s population centers.

Whether it manifests in painting murals, repurposing public spaces, or simply rethinking how decisions get made, the art of creative placemaking is helping towns across the country address their challenges and unlock their potential.

These Four Rural Towns Are Using Creative Placemaking to Thrive New murals, reinvented public spaces, drag shows. Creative Placemaking helps these towns confront their challenges and unlock their potential.