I was pointed to this really cool blog post on small town trends yesterday as a follow-up to my post on rural gentrification. I don't know anything about the blogger, but he spends a lot of time in small towns. His post says: "For the past four years I've been invited to tour over 300 towns in 44 states, a privilege that I've treasured in seeing this great country of ours."
I grew up in small town in Kansas and I find his trend list very interesting. Also, because he is looking at trends from a small town perspective a lot are related to small business. His trends include Gen Y entrepreneurs, unretiring boomers as entrepreneurs, enviropreneurs, and the growth of niche agriculture all as key small town trends.
A couple of his trends are new to me:
"4. Promises-It started with Kalamazoo, MI which promised to pay the college education for anyone who attended its grade and high schools. Newton, IA, and El Dorado, AR have followed suit. Several others are looking to follow.
"10. Birds Beating Birdies-The fastest growing spectator sport in the USA is bird watching. Geo- caching, biking, hiking and extreme water sports are also growing in importance. Golf will still be important for some, but won't be as dominant as in the 90s."
I hadn't heard of the promises trend. I have two kids - a high school senior and freshman. Is it too late for me to move?
I knew bird watching was growing, but what I find really interesting is the inclusion of the very techie term geo-caching. I didn't realize how much this term and activity had moved beyond Silicon Valley propeller heads.
I've added this blog to my read list. Given the broader trends around rural gentrification,retiring boomers and niche agriculture I want to keep up with small towns.
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