Crazy Little Thing Called Government

“Frankly, it’s none of my business.”

William Sweeney, Retired Bedford Circuit Court Judge

Bedford moving closer to seeking its town status again

Bottoms Up

It's called “Bottom-Up,” and it’s one of those ideas that makes so much sense it’s hard to believe a bureaucrat came up with it. In Colorado, the governor’s office is turning the balance of power on its head and asking local leaders what they think should be done to grow businesses at the community level. And the first thing the state wants to know is: what can we do to get out of the way of your growth? Recognizing that small businesses generate 65 percent of the new jobs in Colorado, the state is willing to throw out the playbook and let communities set their own agendas. A tip of the hat to the folks in Colorado.

Read the Article ® “Bottom-up” approach aims to spur economic growth

World’s Best Little Town, Or Is It?

Bedford, Virginia (population 6,312) boasts a sign proclaiming it’s the “World’s Best Little Town,” but Bedford isn’t a town at all, as it turns out. It’s a city. But it hasn’t always been a city, either. In fact, it didn’t always go by the name of Bedford. Let me back up . . . In 1782 the town was founded as Liberty, Virginia, and somewhere along the way became the town of Bedford. In the 1960s it decided it was a good idea to become a city and in the 1990s toyed with the idea of becoming a shire. Now the city has come full circle and decided it wants to be a town after all—maybe. The city council has been studying the idea for three years and says a decision should be coming soon.

Read the Article ® Bedford moving closer to seeking its town status again

Lots o’ Land

“Towns need to grow to survive.”

Karen Lauer, Barnesville, Minnesota Economic Development

Barnesville offers an incentive to those looking to build a new home

Land of the Free

Small towns and rural communities are using what they have to woo newcomers, and for some that means free land. In Kansas there’s so much free land they host an online site, Kansas Free Land, that provides links to all of the communities giving it away. In Curtis, Nebraska lucky homeowners can snatch up a lot overlooking the golf course. And in Marne, Iowa, one family not only got free land but also got $10,000 in down payment assistance. Sometimes when a deal sounds too good to be true, it’s just good.

Read the Article ® 7 towns where land is free

Bonus Link ® Click on USDA Rural Development for information on getting low-interest loans to buy or build in rural areas.

I ran the following story last week. It’s about one town’s incentives for attracting newcomers. I thought it was worth repeating here . . . in case you missed it the first time . . . and in case you’re thinking about building in Minnesota.

If You Pay Them, They Will Build

Town leaders in Barnesville, Minnesota (population 2,314) have been hard at work attracting folks to their community. First, they offered free lots to newcomers willing to build. Then, they sweetened the pot with utility incentives. And now—cold, hard cash: twenty-five hundred bucks to the first four people who move to their town and build a home. This is one town that knows the way to a homeowner’s heart is through their pocketbook.

Read the Article ® Barnesville offers an incentive to those looking to build a new home

Doctor, Doctor

“I would say she’s an angel sent from Heaven.”

Loretta Phillips, Patient at Tutwiler Clinic

Nun doctor does God’s work in Deep South

An Answer to Their Prayers

The folks in the tiny town of Tutwiler, Mississippi (population 1,200) are facing some stiff problems—high unemployment, profound poverty, and subpar living conditions—but they’re not facing them on their own. For almost 30 years Doctor Anne Brooks has been caring for patients at the Tutwiler Clinic, where payment is welcome but not required. Brooks didn’t become a doctor for the money. No–she’s following a higher calling. You see, Brooks is also Sister Anne, a Catholic nun. She says that she spends part of each patient’s visit simply listening—she cares about her patients so they care about themselves.

View the Newsclip ® Nun doctor does God’s work in Deep South

Also, there’s a great video clip of Sister Anne/Doctor Brooks talking about her calling on You Tube.

One-Man Show

Patients in the small town of Cold Spring, Minnesota (population about 3,000) who go to see Doctor Christopher Wenner don’t have to spend hours in a waiting room—in fact, they can’t. There is no waiting room, or receptionist, or nurse. Wenner is a one-man show. He keeps his overhead low so he can focus on patients. Wenner follows the new “Ideal Medical Practice” and sees only 10 patients a day but spends a half hour to hour with each one. He also answers their phone calls, e-mails, and adjusts his hours to meet his patients’ needs. Now that’s a tough act to follow.

Read the Article ® Small town doctor finds new style for practicing medicine

Gotta Have Groceries

“I grew up scooping turkey manure and driving a tractor.”

Nick Graham, Small Town Grocery Tycoon

Iowa grocery tycoon, 21, builds small-town business

Tycoon Nick Blows into Town

Nick Graham is kind of a big deal in small town grocery stores. Where others are throwing in the towel and shuttering stores, he’s buying them up and keeping local communities supplied. At 21 years old, Graham might be considered a youngster, but he’s an old hand in the grocery business. He bought his first store in Minnesota when he was 17, and by the time he sold it two years later he was grossing $100,000 a week. Graham’s empire now includes three stores in small town Iowa. Read the article to see which popular American novel gave Graham the idea for his first business plan.

Read the Article ® Iowa grocery tycoon, 21, builds small-town business

Students Pitch in to Bring Grocery Store to Town

A grocery store is the lifeblood of a small community. The kids from the Cody-Kilgore Unified Schools in Nebraska get it. A group junior and senior high schoolers from the tiny town of Cody (population 149) traveled to Lincoln to make a pitch to lease land along a popular nature trail so a grocery store can be built. The nearest full-service store is 40 miles away. As the students put it, the store would attract people to their community and provide jobs for both adults and after-school workers. These students are pretty smart cookies.

Read the Article ® Grocery store could help tough town survive

Need to Help Neighbors Burns Strong

After a fire destroyed the only grocery store in Onaga, Kansas (population 683) late last year, residents have been desperate to get a grocery store back in town. With the closest store 45 miles away and winter driving conditions making the trip seem even longer, townspeople were especially concerned for the elderly in their community. The local diner, Wanda’s Country Cooking, stepped up to the plate to help out. They set up a makeshift grocery store in their restaurant and stock it with necessities picked up in town three times a week. The manager says the store has been good for business but, like everyone else, she’ll be glad when a full-fledged grocery store is back in town.

Read the Article ® Small town diner opens makeshift grocery store to keep Onaga fed

Friday Feature: Success Stories, March 25

“I tell people the shopping center is where

people go to shop. Downtown is the place

where people want to hang out and socialize.”

Michelle Bollhoefer, City Manager of Winter Garden, Florida

Winter Garden grew big by thinking small

Way to Grow

Four small towns lead the way to growth in North Carolina. All have pumped up their populations by more than 25 percent in the past 10 years—one has almost doubled in size—and all pin their growth on quality of life. The communities boast good school systems, and low tax rates to boot—a winning combination.

Read the Article ® Big growth comes to small towns

Centennial Town Growing Strong

Winter Garden, Florida celebrated its 100th birthday a few years back, but this old gal is growing strong. The town boasted an impressive 141 percent growth rate over the last 10 years, and residents say the key to growing forward is looking to the past. Read to see how the town welcomes newcomers by making them feel like they never left home.

Read the Article ® Winter Garden grew big by thinking small

That’s Entertainment

“The economics of a small-town theater are not terribly attractive.”

David Lanterman, Co-Owner of Lincoln Cinema 4

Small-town movie theaters: Locally owned, locally loved

Picture Show

Folks are buying up and building movie theaters in small towns in Illinois. They’re not doing it to get rich, but instead to enrich their communities. Research shows that other businesses benefit from theaters—like restaurants and ice cream parlors—and these sorts of gathering places attract newcomers to the towns. These small town movie theater moguls get the big picture.

Read the Article ® Small-town movie theaters: Locally owned, locally loved

Talk of the Town . . . and World

The radio station in Boonville, Indiana, WBNL, serves up a blend of local news and weather, advice, youth sports, a delightfully eclectic mix of music, and much more. The content is targeted to the folks of Boonville, but since the station started streaming onto the Internet a few years ago, listeners from the around the world have e-mailed their support—the mayor says they’ve even gotten a phone call from “merry old England.” Take a listen yourself on WBNL.

Read the Article ® Ode to small town radio

Multitasking on a Tight Budget

“We’re a small town and we need to circle the wagons.”

Jill Sprenkel, Byron, California School Board Member

Byron schools rally around students

Schools Bridge the Gap for Families in Need

The farming town of Byron, California is a poor community, and its 1,000 residents were particularly hard hit in the recession when many of its families that once had two incomes now have none. The school district has stepped up with its “Bridge” program and provides help ranging from tutoring and grocery shopping to assistance with applying for Food Stamps and moving when the family home is lost. The program runs on grants, donations, and volunteers but occasionally has to squeeze funds from the school budget.

Read the Article ® Byron schools rally around students

Town Hall Does Double Duty

The post office in Rockville, Utah has always been the hub of activity for the town’s 245 citizens, but its new, expanded digs now house the city offices as well. Not only do the townsfolk have a new place to hang out, but the town clerk  gets her house back—that’s where the city offices have been up until now. Read the article to see how the town built its new facilities without raising taxes.

Read the Article ® New town hall continues the tradition

Keeping It Local

“What makes a local currency work is

that you spend it as fast as possible.”

Josh Freeman, Founder of North Fork Shares

North Fork shares wealth with its own currency

The Buck Stops Here

Faced with a struggling economy, the folks in the mountain town of North Fork, California have turned to an age-old stimulus plan: they’re printing their own money. The group grew tired of seeing their community’s hard-earned bucks roll downhill to the big city of Fresno and so they gathered in a barn last year and cranked out their own currency, called North Fork Shares.

Read the Article ® North Fork shares wealth with its own currency: Town has come up with a stimulus program designed to keep money in the local economy

Of the Community, By the Community, For the Community

Voters in two small towns in Maine say they know best how to regulate small farms within their communities, and they’ve passed ordinances that would make small-scale farmers exempt from state and federal regulations if they sell directly to consumers. Supporters say the streamlined system will help small farms grow, but state regulators say they have the last word when it comes to rules.

Read the Article ® Maine towns try to loosen reins on local farms

If You Pay Them, They Will Build

Town leaders in Barnesville, Minnesota have been hard at work attracting folks to their community. First, they offered free lots to newcomers willing to build. Then, they sweetened the pot with utility incentives. And now—cold, hard cash: twenty-five hundred bucks to the first four people who move to their town and build a home.

Read the Article ® Barnesville offers an incentive to those looking to build a new home

Hardworking Hometowners

“We cost less than the East and West Coast,

and we’re easier to deal with than India.”

Mary Lacity, Professor at the University of Missouri, St. Louis

“Rural Outsourcers” Vie for Offshoring Dollars

Help Wanted: Rural Outsourcing

Companies wanting to cut costs but keep jobs close to home are looking at small towns and rural areas as an alternative to offshore outsourcing. There are no hard figures, but one expert estimates rural outsourcing comes out to about $100 million a year in small town America.

Read the Article ® “Rural Outsourcers” Vie for Offshoring Dollars

Small Towns, Long Hours

Online workers from small towns are logging long hours. A recent study finds that small towns match big cities in the number of online workers per capita, but those workers put in longer hours. Folks in Kanab, Utah as well as Wagoner and Newalla, Oklahoma (populations below 15,000) each worked 175 hours in January, compared to cityfolk in San Francisco (54 hours) and Los Angeles (23 hours).  Even New York City (70 hours) couldn't keep up with small town workers.

Read the Article ® Small Towns, Long Hours for Online Temps

Building on Quality of Life

“If you had a $20 bill and didn’t want to go to the bar,

you’d be hard pressed to spend it in Taylor.”

Chuck Cone, Mayor of Burwell

Burwell, Garfield County growing

Town Grows Whopping 60% but Keeps Small Town Feel

CDA Press · Jennifer Elliott took a break from her walk along the Centennial Trail on Friday to ponder Post Falls’ [Idaho] growth during the past decade. She was “astounded” the city—her “happy medium” hometown between Spokane and Coeur d’Alene—grew 60 percent to 27,574 people in 2010, according to the Idaho Labor Department.

Read More ® Growing, growing, but small-town feel not gone

Location, Location, Location: Lakeside Town Grows

The Independent · Garfield County is one of the few rural counties in Nebraska that saw growth in the past 10 years, according to data recently released from the U.S. Census Bureau. After decades of population decline, the census data shows that Garfield County’s population increased to 2,049, up 7.7 percent from 10 years ago. The county’s only city, Burwell, grew by 7.1 percent.

Read More ® Burwell, Garfield County growing

Traditions Alive and Well in Tiny Town

Globe Gazette · Is it the ribs and chicken at Mitchell's restaurant? Or the possibility of actor Kevin Costner returning for another musical gig at the Ambroson barn? Something helped push Leland’s [Iowa] population from 258 to 289 over the past decade.

Read More ® Backroads North Iowa: Small-town traditions alive, well in Leland

Tis’ the Time to Go Green

“Why not do something with green Jell-O instead of green beer?”

Larry McKown, Owner of Flanigan’s Inn

Jello-O contest an annual event

Two Guys and a Small Town Go Green

Huffington Post · After the DHL shipping hub in [Wilmington, Ohio] announced it would be closing in 2008, leading to the loss of over 9,000 jobs in a community of only 12,000 people, Mark Rembert and Taylor Stuckert knew they had to do something to help their hometown make it through the prospect of tough economic times. . . . Using grants for green initiatives, they met with local government officials to institutionalize green development and establish a green enterprise zone in Clinton County, obtaining $1.3 million in stimulus funding for three renewable energy projects.

Read More ® “Energizing Clinton County” restores jobs in small-town America

Green Jell-O Is the “Inn” Thing

Deseret News · Just when you think you’ve heard of everything possible to do with a box of green Jell-O, along comes Larry McKown and his kooky annual ritual. This Saturday will be the 26th time that the [Flanigan’s Inn] owner has helped stage a green Jell-O sculpting contest in honor of St. Patrick’s Day, the arrival of spring and the official beginning of tourist season in what is arguably Utah’s prettiest small town [Springdale].

Read More ® Jello-O contest an annual event

Docs, Cops, & Books

“When they come out of the woods in the pickup truck,
they change and they get into the police car
and then respond to the call.”

Spencer Nichols

Mayor of Pe Ell, Washington

Cash-strapped small town finds cops in the woods

Seed Money for Medical Care

The Holyoke Enterprise · The ground has been broken in the process to hopefully help an interested student through school in order to move back to Holyoke [Colorado] and work at Melissa Memorial Hospital. East Phillips County Board members agreed at their Monday, Feb. 21 meeting to work with Melissa Memorial Hospital Foundation to help “grow their own physician.”

Read More ® Hospital hopes to “grow own” doctor

Mayor Goes into the Woods to Cut Down Crime

KOMO News · A small town [Pe Ell, Washington] with big-time budget problems has found a way to keep police on the street—by using commissioned police officers who are on the payroll of a timber company.

Read More ® Cash-strapped small town finds cops in the woods

No Huffin’ and Puffin’ Will Bring Down This Library

The Denver Post · Built of straw and founded on community efforts, the library in the tiny town of Naturita [Colorado] is getting national recognition.

Read More ® Naturita library named Best Small Town Library in America

Pet Projects

“The mice population is down. The birds are nervous.”

Don Pay, Mayor & Cat Lover

Stray cats take over Taylorsville, KY

Donations for Dogs a Howling Success

The Frontiersman · The account is closed, the check has been issued, and, when it was all said and done, two animal advocates gathered more than $38,000 for dogs seized from a Willow [Alaska]-area breeder.

Read More ® Community donations for seized dogs top $38,000

Dog’s Best Friend

WIS-TV · Wagener, South Carolina has 846 people, one stoplight, and one town dog.

Read More ® SC town adopts abused dog

Town Turns to Birth Control for Cats

NBC News & Huffington Post · Cats are taking over the town of Taylorsville, Kentucky, and there's not much the 1,800 residents can do about it.

Read More ® Stray cats take over Taylorsville, KY

Earth, Wind, and Fire[truck]

“I turned on the lights and blew the siren

and drove through town to the station.”

Rob Rohwedder

Fire Chief of Baldwin, Iowa Fire Department
Baldwin gets firetruck for a buck

Earth-Friendly Volunteers

Daily Sentinel · License plates turned into the Plymouth County [Iowa] Courthouse are recycled—and the money used for conservation. It started around 1998 when Tom De Koster explored the concept and started recycling the plates and giving the money to the Plymouth County Conservation Foundation.

Read More ® Iowa volunteers help recycle old license plates

Wind Farm Means Big Bucks for Local Economy

Mountain View Telegram · Nearly everyone packed into the Torrance County [New Mexico] Commission chambers Wednesday morning supported a request by Iberdrola Renewables for a special use district on 87,000 acres near Encino that will be home to the El Cabo wind farm. 

Read More ® Wind farm request OK’d

Firetruck for a Buck

Telegraph Herald · Can’t get much for a buck these days—a soda, a pair of socks, a thin burger, a pack of pencils. But if you happen to be the Baldwin [Iowa] Fire Department, you might pick up a shiny firetruck for a dollar.

Read More ® Baldwin gets firetruck for a buck