Count Me In

“Every person is important.”

Marty Scrogham, Former Mayor of Indianola, Illinois

Small town shows surge in census

The results of the 2010 Census are in. Small towns watch these numbers closely because it takes only a few residents to bump their numbers up or down. And because part of each town’s funding is derived from Census numbers, that bump can be a budget boom or bust. Here’s a quick accounting of a few small towns in the news: 

·        According to the Census, Indianola, Illinois saw a 33.33 percent jump in population: from 207 in 2000 to 276 today. The count is accurate, says Village President Donnie Turner, but statistic is wrong: there aren’t any new residents at all. It’s just that when the Census was done in 2000, a whole lot of people were missed. After suffering the budget effects of the miscount at that time, a dedicated group of community volunteers made sure it didn’t happen again.

Read the Article ® Small town shows surge in census

·        Culloden, Georgia saw its population drop: from 223 in 2000 to 175 today. But town leaders have a plan to get those numbers back up—simply push out the boundaries of the town. It would add 50-75 people and a much needed boost to the budget. The plan is in the preliminary stage—finding out if the neighboring landowners want to become Cullodenians. Cullodeners?

Read the Article ® Tiny Culloden seeks to quadruple city’s size

·        Clayton, Alabama locked in a big population jump: from 1,475 in 2000 to 3,008 today. And it’s all thanks to one neighbor. In 2009, the town redrew its boundaries to include the nearby Ventress Correctional Facility and its 1,600 inmates. Not only do the numbers look good on paper, but the move adds up to cold, hard cash. Clayton sits in a part of Alabama where revenue from an oil lease is divvied up among towns based on population. Pretty slick.

Read the Article ® Census: Clayton's population more than doubles

·        Connell, Washington is home to the Coyote Ridge Corrections Center, but unlike Clayton, Alabama, it’s doing its darndest not to include the inmates in its Census count. Connell, with its 2,700 residents, and Coyote Ridge, with its 2,371 inmates, tally up to 5,071 people. This is a problem. In the state of Washington, towns over 5,000 are no longer considered small and must compete with big cities, like Seattle, for state grants. The legislature has stepped in to help and with the governor’s approval, Connell will get to keep its small town title.

Read the Article ® Legislature OKs bill that helps Connell avoid big-city status

·        Little Plato, Missouri (population 109) has a big title. After the latest Census figures, it has been proclaimed the official center of the United States population (total: 308,745,538). Census officials say the U.S. population has been steadily moving southwest, but this has been the most extreme shift to the south: 23.4 miles to be exact. Plato will receive a plaque to display proudly, at least until the next Census in 2020.

Read the Article ® Small Missouri town becomes new center of U.S. population

Friday Feature: Kaskaskia, Illinois

“We're kind of in our own world over here.”

Dave Gendron, Mayor of Kaskaskia, Illinois

Small town's comeback is a precarious distinction

Comeback Kid

If you look at statistics, Kaskaskia, Illinois is a happening place: an impressive 55 percent spike in population over the last 10 years. But statistics can be misleading. That’s not to say that Kaskaskia isn’t notable. Here are some facts:

·        The town is 300 years old.

·        It was the state’s first capital.

·        It’s the only Illinois town west of the Mississippi.

·        And until the latest Census, it was the smallest town in Illinois.

You see, in the 2000 Census Kaskaskia had only 9 residents, but after its boom in the last decade, it now has 14, passing up little Valley City, population 13. This may not seem like a big deal, except for one more fact: in 1993 the town disappeared completely under 15 feet of the Mississippi River. The folks in Kaskaskia say that’s no big deal; they’re used to being flooded. They figure it all goes back to the banished lover’s curse placed on the town early in its history. That, and being surrounded by the Mississippi River.

The people who did return to Kaskaskia after the 1993 floods say they were drawn by the peaceful atmosphere and the hunting and fishing—more deer than people populate the tiny island—and you never have to worry about cars and trucks rushing by.

To find out more about the legend of the banished lover’s curse, and the rest of the intriguing history of this tiny town, click on the link below.

Read the Article ® Small town's comeback is a precarious distinction

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