Instill optimism. Connect them with careers of interest. Empower them to be citizens, not just occupants.
These were concepts covered during a recent webinar about how to get high school students to invest in their hometown, all concepts which the Webster Area Development Corporation is looking to introduce to the area.
Webster Area Development Corporation (WADC) announced that interim director Melissa Fose will take over as executive director.
Day County is no stranger to the epidemic sweeping through the Midwest, known as Rural Flight. The county has consistently lost population for the past 90 years. But according to a 2011 estimate, the area is looking at its first increase in population since 1920. The U.S. Census Bureau’s 2011 population estimates Webster and Day County have increased half a percent since the 2010 national census.
“In 2012, our vibrant visitor sector once again proved that it is a job-creating, revenue-generating industry,” Gov. Dennis Daugaard said. “Tourism produced $291 million in state and local tax revenues last year and eased the tax burden on South Dakotans to the tune of $878 per household.”
In Day County, tourism was a $23,602,300 industry last year which represents 4.9 percent of county sales and .6 percent of state tourism sales. That figure is down .1 percent from 2011 when $23,631,000 was reported.