Small towns across America can survive if they believe in themselves and make the commitment to reinvest in their futures, said author Richard E. Wood.
Wood addressed a large gathering Friday night at Creitz Recital Hall in the Bowlus Fine Arts Center. He was in Iola as part of the weekend’s Iola Family Reading Festival promoting his book, “Survival of Rural America: Small Victories and Bitter Harvests.” Thrive Allen County and the Sleeper Family Trust sponsored his presentation Friday.
The Bowlus Center, he said, is a prime example of how a citizen’s investment in his town can help secure its future. The fine arts center, he presumed, is a big draw in attracting not only performers but also businesses that view it as an amenity unusual for a town the size of Iola.
On the flip side, Wood said dissension within a town can be its death.
Wood gave multiple examples of small towns across Kansas that were on their way to becoming ghost towns because of lack of cooperation between retailers, schools or elected officials.
He used the town of Tipton, population 240, of winning one battle to stay alive. When the news came from district offices that Tipton schools would be closed the citizens protested — and acted. In a compromise, they let the high school be closed, and then began a massive campaign to build a new elementary school. Letters and e-mails were sent to hundreds of Tipton High graduates in a plea for funds. The money came pouring in. Enough so that over a summer’s time they had a new school in place.
The effort showed that many former Tipton residents continued to have strong feelings for their hometown and were willing to contribute to its success. The effort also established a quarterly newsletter that is sent to former residents apprising them of the city’s activities.
“Reinvestment in a community is critical to its success,” Wood said.
Though he’s a big-city boy, Wood’s interest in small towns came from his father, who grew up in Minneapolis, Kan., a town of about 2,000. Wood learned of the town’s land give-away in an effort to attract people to settle there.
He likened the free land idea to the original Homestead Act of 1862 when the federal government gave 160-acre plots to populate land west of the original 13 colonies.
The Act worked, Wood said, “almost too well.”
Today’s farms take far fewer individuals to operate and industries are generally situated near metropolitan areas.
Today only 14 percent of the U.S. population lives in rural areas, Wood said.
He didn’t have any “magic bullets” to reverse the trend, though he did think people underestimate the benefits of small-town living.
For raising children, there’s no place better, Wood said.
“Kids can have the run of the town,” he said, “And everyone knows what they’re up to.”
Wood referred to a quote saying that a small town’s sidewalks may have cracks, “But the kids don’t fall through them,” referring to the village mentality of watching out for other’s children.
That said, once those children grow up, they most likely flock to more urban areas for not only the job market, but also the amenities offered by city life.
“Jobs are only half the problem,” in attracting people, Wood said. “Truth is, the lifestyle of small towns isn’t appealing,” to younger generations. “They’re interested in ‘outside’ stimulation,” such as a wide variety of restaurants, places to shop and entertainment venues. Big cities also offer a person an element of anonymity, he said, if they choose.
IN A SMALL town it can take only a handful of people to make “a huge difference and leave a lasting impact,” Wood said, while their urban counterparts “don’t realize they can make things happen.”
The stereotypes urbanites have of small towns — nothing to do — is off base, Wood said. Citizens of small towns can be just as involved in community activities as anywhere, he said.
Selling the benefits of small-town living to city-dwellers will be an uphill battle, he said. Keeping a town’s key functions — health care, education and industry — competitive is the best path for a future.
