Governor Gary Herbert opened the Utah Rural Summit Thursday in Cedar City. In its 29th year, the summit is hosted by Southern Utah University and each year, addresses the challenges of Utah’s rural economies.
The governor summed up his measuring stick of success in rural opportunity growth by posing the following question:
“Where are your children and your grandchildren going to be living when they set up their own households? If they're going to be living in their home towns or in their neighboring communities, things are probably well. If they have to go some place else because they can't find work, then we have a need to in fact improve our economic opportunities in those communities.”
Access to, and multiple use of public lands and economic diversification are key rural issues.
The summit continues Friday, punctuated by an address by former Utah Jazz player and current head coach of the New York Knicks, Jeff Hornacek.
