Dive Brief:

• St. Louis, home to the current National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency facility, has beat out its competition, St. Clair County, IL, for the right to build the agency’s new $1 billion center, the United Press International reported.
• State and local officials said that in addition to construction costs, the federal satellite intelligence center will also need approximately $750 million in equipment.
• The new NGA facility will replace the existing one, which houses approximately 3,000 employees.

Dive Insight:

Officials in St. Clair County, home to Scott Air Force base, had hoped to bring the facility to their area, in part to make the air base look like a less attractive candidate for any future closures.

The St. Louis Post-Dispatch obtained an email that NGA Director Robert Cardillo sent to employees in which he wrote that the decision to stay in St. Louis was greatly influenced by the ability to recruit future employees, especially millennials who prefer urban living environments.

"The future of our agency and our profession rests on our present talent and that of the next generations we can recruit onto our team," Cardillo wrote. "We face tough competition, and offering an environment that appeals to these future generations is critical to our success. Studies point to a desire by today's millennials to be in urban environments, and this trend is expected to continue."

While research into millennial habits reveal they love urban living, a recent National Association of Realtors study found that when it comes time to buy a home, millennials, like most other demographics, prefer the suburbs. The NAR found that while millennials are steadfast city renters, the cost of buying a home in one might be too high.