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As the economic slowdown continues, more people are looking for work. Some have been forced into it, but others have different reasons. Some are considering giving up their jobs in metropolitan areas to move back to what they perceive as a safer environment. Since the September terrorist attacks, areas like the Red River Valley have seen an increase in interest in what the region has to offer.

	About 150 people attended a recent holiday job fair in Fargo, N.D. Businesses in the Red River Valley hope to encourage former residents of the area to return, and are using safety as one reason why. (MPR Photo/Bob Reha)

Representatives from a dozen local businesses - from bankers to software companies and insurance representatives - hosted a recent holiday job fair at a hotel in Fargo.

The event was sponsored by careerlinknorth.com. The Web site was developed by employers in the region to lure back the homegrown talent which has left. Carrie Ward, marketing manager, publicizes the Web site to 85,000 alumni from schools in North Dakota and northwest Minnesota.

She says since the Sept. 11 attacks, traffic on the site has increased dramatically. In a normal week, 150,000 people will visit the Web site. Ward says that figure is up by 35,000 hits a week.

"I think it's really helped a lot of people re-evaluate what's important to them, and is that big job in the big city important?" says Ward. "Or is it more important to look at family, look at values, and look at someplace safe to raise your family?"

The fair caught the attention of Nathan Rasller. He grew up in Grand Forks, N.D. Rasller now lives in Nashville, Tenn. He and his wife would like to return the region.

"Sept. 11 made you rethink a lot of different things," says Rasller. "It wasn't the actual stimulus to me looking back home - I always intended to come back as my entire family is up here. But it may have motivated me to look a little harder - also a little more urgency."

Another fair attendee, Janet Rodman, is here from Minneapolis, trying to find a new job. She was laid off in September.

"I worked for a public relations agency. We worked with high-tech startup companies in the telecommunications industry. We lost a lot of our clients and that industry was going down, so I lost my job and I'm just looking for something now," Rodman says.

	Sharon Miller organized the job fair. She works for the software developer Microsoft-Great Plains. She says it has been difficult to gauge the impact of Sept. 11 on job-seekers in the area. Listen to her comments. (MPR Photo/Bob Reha)

Sharon Miller works for the software developer Microsoft-Great Plains. She moved back to the region when her father passed away, to be closer to her mother. Miller has organized the last four holiday job fairs. She says it's not surprising people may not want to admit they're scared.

"I just hired someone from North Carolina who called and looked for opportunities right after Sept. 11." Miller says. "He said specifically, his wife is from this area, they feel a little unsafe on the East Coast. He's ready to come home so we hired him. He just started about two weeks ago."

Miller says since September, the number of job inquiries at Microsoft-Great Plains has been on the rise.

"It has increased dramatically. But...is it Sept. 11, or is it the economy, or is it Microsoft? How can we ever distinguish that without talking to each candidate?" Miller says.

Organizers say 150 people attended the job fair. The crowd was a mix of younger people and middle-aged folks. It's not clear how many people may find jobs here. Organizers say the important thing is the interest generated in the region.

Byron Klebe, general manager of the North Dakota division office of Mutual of Omaha, attends a lot of job fairs as part of his job. He says if he's hearing a common theme among the younger people he's meeting, it's family.

"Most grandmas want grandkids and family close together, so that's probably the driving force," Klebe says.

Organizers say they're pleased with the turnout at the job fair. They believe younger people are realizing there are good jobs and careers to be had up north.