Millennials Groomed for Vital Role in Manatee


 

Manatee County is taking purposive efforts to create a community both desirable and affordable for millennials or those born between early 1980s and early 2000s. Also called generation Y, this age group is considered pivotal to the future of the county. This population segment constitutes 21% of the county’s workforce, as per a recent local survey by the Manatee Millennial Movement (M3), a new agency that the county government organized recently.

The study also noted that majority of the labor force is still the domain of baby boomers, or those born between 1946 and 1964, which account for 45% of Manatee’s active manpower complement. Millenials, however, are expected to be the cornerstone of the county’s labor sector in the years ahead, as more and more baby boomers enter retirement. Additionally, millennials have been bringing in the Bradenton area a large segment of new business start-ups, according to Johnette Isham, executive director of the business promotion group Realize Bradenton.

M3’s marching orders

Millennials Groomed for Vital Role in Manatee

These recent surges in younger demographics and the growing importance of millenials in the labor scene are the primary reasons why the county created the Manatee Millennial Movement (M3) in January 2015. M3 has been tasked to provide a forum for generation Y based on empowerment, education and the development of the county. It likewise seeks to mold strong leaders among millenials for political and social engagement of their particular demographics. The agency, doubling up too as a voice for all citizens, is designed to promote change through educational programs, dialogue, and increased involvement.

Based on the findings of the M3 countywide survey on millennials and workforce housing, the aspirations of generation Y mirror for the most part those of the baby boomers. While millenials seek vibrant nightlife, they also look for active lifestyle/recreation, mixed-use developments, walkability, safety and affordability, attributes which too are primary considerations for baby boomers in search of Bradenton homes for sale.

Workforce support for home buying

Significantly, Manatee already has several existing programs supporting affordable workforce housing which millennials and other households in the county can access. The maximum sales price covered by these programs is $201,600, a price level wherein there are a good number of new listings in the current MLS of Manatee-Sarasota homes for sale.

One attractively priced property which was sales-listed recently is at the Peridia Golf & Country Club, a three-bedroom home built in 1988 with a floor area of 1,631 square feet and offered at a $200,000 asking price. The Southwind at Five Lakes in Bradenton likewise has a new listing for a two-bedroom residence with a floor plan of nearly 1,500 square feet and a tag price also in the $200s.

The price tag even gets more enticing at Bradenton’s Country Village condo community where a two-bedroom villa with a floor area of 1,333 square feet built in the late 1980s was recently put on the market at a listed price in the upper $100s. For another listing at this price range, West Palmetto Oaks has a fresh offering for a three-bedroom house with a floor area of 1,164 square feet built in the early 2000s.