In discussions about how to fix Grant County’s ailing economy, a big focus has been on creating new jobs in the community. That’s a huge need, and it deserves the spotlight of centerstage. Yet as we pursue that objective, we shouldn’t ignore another, albeit smaller, possibility for growth: the inmigration of retirees.

Too often, that trend is greeted with skepticism, even disdain. Local public officials have been heard fretting that too many of our new residents are “just” retirees – suggesting they are somehow of less value to the community and its future. Yet experience suggests that retirees, while they may not put students in our classrooms, have other benefits to bring to the county’s table.

And, the current economic downturn notwithstanding, experts say they will come.

A few years back, before the housing market tanked, the U.S. Census Bureau estimated that the nation’s population would grow by 30 percent from 1990 to 2020. The forecast saw Idaho’s population growing 67 percent, Washington 53 percent and Oregon 47 percent.

Consultant and financial analyst Ralph R. Shaw noted the part retirees could play in that trend when he delivered a 2006 report “Demographics in the Northwest – Becoming more like Florida?” to health-care insurance provider Regence Blue Cross.

“For the most part, immigration news tends to focus on those from south of the border … However, increasingly important for such things as housing prices and the development of previously bypassed communities – as well as the nature of services demanded – is the movement of retirees to our states,” he said.

Shaw’s comments looked in part at the need for the health care community to be ready for that influx. But in an interview this year, he also reiterated the opportunities that retirees – particularly so-called Baby Boomers – present for both businesses and communities.

He noted that Florida became the retirement mecca of earlier generations not because of its business climate, but because of attributes valued by those retirees. As they moved in, however, businesses followed to serve their needs.

While the Boomer migration in the West has stalled out with the housing crash, Shaw and others believe it will surge again when the economy recovers. If the statistics bear out, many of these retirees will come to Oregon. They won’t be moving here with a rocker lashed to the top of the truck; they’re more apt to bring along mountain bikes, snowmobiles, hiking shoes, and garden trowels. They’ll also come with pensions, health insurance and needs for goods and services offered by local businesses.

Grant County, because of its isolation, may not attract huge numbers of these folks, but we can expect at least a ripple from the wave.

Already we are seeing some active retirees resettle here, despite the tough times. They are drawn to our sunshine, our rural lifestyle, our friendly people, and our great recreational opportunities.

We should expect that trend to increase, especially with Central Oregon overflowing, and we should encourage it. Other rural communities in Oregon already are doing so. Hermiston, for example, has created a website video, “A Great Place to Live,” that touts the city as a great place to spend your golden years.

Grant County’s population has been flatlined for too long. We need population gains, not just to fill jobs, but to show that we have a growing pool of residents to buy goods, use services, and run our volunteer institutions. Captains of industry don’t seek out stagnant communities to expand their empires.

Equally important, we need to rethink the misconception that retirees take, take, take, and never give. That idea is commonly voiced but it flies in the face of our experience here in Grant County, where many local organizations are fueled by senior-citizen power. If all those seniors threw up their hands and retired to the rocking chair, a lot of positive activities would screech to a halt.

We can’t afford to look askance at people moving in simply because they don’t fit some “ideal” demographic, i.e. families with young parents and 2.5 children. We should welcome new residents of all ages to our communities as potential contributors. Sound the fire siren, give them a prize, help them understand our institutions and history, and recruit them to help build a better future.

The inmigration of retirees is not the solution to our economic problems, but it should be seen as one positive factor as we seek to create a palette of solutions.