By George P. Hassett

Mayor Joseph A. Curtatone addressed over 100 young Somerville residents Tuesday night at the first annual State of the Young City address at the Somerville Theatre.

Curtatone said he wanted to reach out to people between 21 and 35 and get their ideas and feedback on how he is running the city.

“I want to sustain a conversation with you,” he told the crowd from the theatre’s stage. “We want a give and take with young people in this city to be on a continuum.”

Curtatone’s chief of staff, Michael Lambert organized the event in response to pattern of young people leaving the city as they get older and started families. In 2005, he said, Massachusetts was the only state in the country to lose population with most defectors between 25 and 35 years old.

“The cycle has been, young people live in a condo in Somerville, have a kid, but when the kid turns 5 they leave the city and maybe the state,” he said. “If we want a stable community we have to keep them happy and keep them here.”

Adding to the importance of keeping 21 to 35-year-olds in the city, he said, is the fact that they make up 40 percent of the city’s population, compared to just 20 percent statewide.

Curtatone said the large number of young adults in the city can be used as an asset. “You can be a great source of understanding to help us understand how we can make the city a better place to live,” he said to the crowd.

To do this, he convened an advisory group made up of 25 young city residents and they met to rank the concerns of their age group. Many of the concerns were consistent with city residents of any age group, Curtatone said, and they included: making sure the Commonwealth fulfills its commitment to build four Green Line stops in the city, increasing affordable housing opportunities, bicycle and pedestrian access, increasing open space and protecting the environment.

Curtatone said he looked forward to the question and answer part of the night most. “I want to hear from you. I want to hear what we’re missing, what we got right,” he said.

Audience members asked Curtatone about a missing plaque in Seven Hills Park, affordable housing in Union Square, the recent immigration raids in East Somerville by federal authorities and where to go for good child care in the city.

Khalid Shakir, 28, came to the advisory group after a neighbor in his condo building forwarded him an e-mail about it. He said his views of what the city needs are typical of people his age: he wants the Green Line extended and good public schools so he and his wife can stay in Somerville when they have school-age children. Some of his suggestions have already made their way into city policy, he said.

“We suggested some changes to the city Web site at one of the meetings and they incorporated a few of them,” he said.

Lambert said  residents Shakir‚Äôs age do not use the traditional channels when they have a suggestion or need help from city officials. ‚ÄúThey may not call an alderman or the mayor‚Äôs office but we still want to reach out to them and address their concerns,‚Äù he said.

Curtatone told the young audience the meeting is just the beginning of a larger effort to incorporate the young adults of the city into the decision making process. “We can use your passion and your input. Who said you had to live here 20 or 30 years to want the best for your city? We want you to help us make the decisions that will make you want to stay here long-term," he said.