Louisville’s struggle against brain drain was a frequent topic during the mid 2000s – see here, and here. There was a perception that our most talented young adults were leaving Louisville, often for college, and never coming back. As someone that did come back (I lived in Atlanta for a while), I was really intrigued to discover that Louisville is creeping up the charts in terms of mind-share. That’s my spin on it, at least.
When you compare the frequency of Google searches for Louisville and Indianapolis since 2004, Indianapolis has lead consistently. This isn’t surprising when you consider that Indianapolis’ MSA population is approximately 1.7 million, compared to Louisville’s 1.2 million. The same is true for Cincinnati, whose population is 2.1 million. What is interesting is that Louisville is getting closer to both cities over time.
Certainly, sports is a driver of search results, and Louisville’s successes in soccer, baseball, and basketball have made the news. Still, its hard to believe that searches for Louisville sports would drive the difference, especially when you consider that Louisville Basketball and Louisville Sluggers are likely offset by Indianapolis Colts, Cincinnati Bengals, and Cincinnati Reds. The Kentucky Derby doesn’t seem to be a signficant driver, considering that May’s results are no closer than other months. If not sports, what is causing the increasing interest in Louisville?
I think the answer is that Louisville, as a brand, is gaining ground on our regional neighbors. The revitalization of downtown, the history and fanfare of Derby, the outstanding attention Louisville’s local restaurants receive, and the community’s focus on retaining talent is finally paying off. Louisville has made outstanding progress, but the work is really just starting.
I haven’t noticed the same enthusiasm around the brain drain issue that I saw 5 years ago. Sure, efforts continue, but over time our focus as a community has shifted. As the economy begins to rebound, attracting and retaining top talent while continuing all of our other initiatives is critical. We can continue to close the gap, but we need to build upon a strong foundation of talent.