Break out the bubbly. THIS MONTH’S issue of “Smithsonian” magazine names its top 10 small towns in the United States. ACCORDING to a study by the W. Frank Barton School of Business at Wichita State University, Allen County’s projected population for 2040 is 9,498, down from today’s 13,225, if the status quo is our modus operandi.
According to recent U.S. Census reports, Iola added 12 residents from 2011 to 2012.
Now before you snicker, realize it’s the first time in decades Iola has witnessed an increase in population.
If you are one of the select few who helped nudge the city count from a negative to a positive, stand up and take a bow.
We hope you like it here.
Those that make the mark stood out for specific reasons.
Chautauqua, N.Y., for example, markets its educational roots in the Chautauqua Movement of the 1870s, where speakers would travel the country lecturing on a variety of subjects. The chautauquas were as much entertainment as education. From these roots came the Chautauqua Institute. Today, the small town of 400 swells to 7,500 as visitors partake in its nine-week summer program of lectures exploring politics, economics, international relations, literature, science and religion.
Healdsburg, Calif., population 11,400, sits in the middle of wine country in Sonoma Valley.
Instead of marketing its heady wines, the small town is becoming known for its farm-to-table restaurants that feature locally grown food. In fact, some are pulling up vines to plant beets and lettuce and raise animals. That’s saying something since the grape-growing land there fetches $200,000 an acre.
Healdsburg has also done a good job of preserving its history around its downtown plaza — think Iola’s square — which helps attracts visitors and locals alike.
Williamsburg, Va., has worked to capture its historical significance. Steamboat Springs, Colo., has become a mecca for music with a symphony, chamber orchestra, opera and world-class summer festival. Nebraska City, Neb., capitalizes as being a stop along the Underground Railroad, as well as a layover for explorers Lewis and Clark.
Of the 10 cities profiled, Iola comes closest to Lanesboro, Minn., a small town in the southeast corner that almost called it quits when the railroad pulled up stakes.
Instead, residents came together to capitalize on their assets. Today, the town of 745 is a destination for theater-lovers who stay in bed and breakfasts in renovated Victorian homes. Another draw is 60 miles of bike paths, an arts center, and specifically, the Commonweal Theatre that attracts world class entertainment.
Nothing that we don’t have at our fingertips.
We can bury our heads in the sand and say we don’t need new schools, more housing or new business. But when we come to that, Iola will be a diminished version.
Over the past 10 years Iola has lost 10 percent of its population. That’s not the case for everyone in these parts. Humboldt has held steady with only a drop of 2.2 percent over the same period and Chanute and Garnett have had decreases of 2.7 and 1.3 percent, respectively.
It’s not a coincidence they all have devoted considerable resources to their schools.
We should take the recent uptick in Iola’s population as a sign. People want to live here. Let’s give them a host of reasons.
— Susan Lynn
Time to capitalize on slight uptick in population
