Small Towns

Small towns are in crisis. To save them, it might take a "new ruralism" of community leadership, volunteerism, and ventures in the creative economy.

July 3, 2017 - ASLA The Dirt

The "small-town feel" of Conroe, Texas is touted as one of the reason for its quick population growth.

July 1, 2017 - The Urban Edge

An examination of the commentary on place found in the classic Christmas movie, "It's a Wonderful Life."

December 25, 2016 - CityLab

Rutland, Vermont is scheduled to become home to 100 Syrian refugees, a prospect that has awoken passionate responses from the town's residents.

December 7, 2016 - The Nation

Some cities that want to grow are stuck in the small town zone, while others growing cities would prefer to stay small.

July 8, 2016 - Community Development Strategies

The common perception of everyday America as a land of small towns and white faces doesn't reflect the current reality. Demographic analysis reveals "normal America" in cities like New Haven and Tampa.

May 1, 2016 - FiveThirtyEight

The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette profiles a man in a small town in Pennsylvania that does a pretty good impression of Santa Claus, if you ask us.

December 27, 2015 - Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

As rising costs expel artists from urban cores, some small towns are positioning themselves as unlikely magnets for creative expression.

November 12, 2015 - Nonprofit Quarterly

Academia's "two-body problem" may be affecting other industries as women pursue more specialized careers and marry similarly educated men. Two-career couples are likely to gravitate toward larger metro areas with job opportunities for both partners.

November 10, 2015 - StatChat: the blog of the UVA Demographics Research Group

Concerned about their economic fate, several upstate New York towns have expressed interest in joining Pennsylvania instead.

March 8, 2015 - Talking Points Memo

In this opinion piece, Brookings demographer William H. Frey looks at three years of census data and discusses whether urban growth will stay through the decade or whether the U.S. will return to its traditional, post-War suburban growth patterns.

June 2, 2014 - Brookings

ArtPlace, the creative placemaking collaboration, has announced its inaugural list of the top small town art scenes in the United States. The dozen communities selected for recognition include Crested Butte, CO, Vineyard Haven, MA, and Taos, NM.

April 5, 2013 - ArtPlace

Jordan Rane profiles 8 historic towns from across the country that have overcome significant challenges to become desirable destinations once again.

March 14, 2013 - CNN

Kaid Benfield pens a provocative column in which he suggests that the traditional American Main Street is a thing of the past, and may no longer fit our modern retail economy. Are traditional main streets still worth preserving and emulating?

February 4, 2013 - NRDC Switchboard

Charles Marohn discusses the CNU NextGen initiative "Investment Ready Places" by Street Sense. The new booklet provides strategies for identifying and investing in America’s “new frontier for development.”

October 19, 2012 - Better! Cities & Towns

June 28, 2012 - John Wilbanks

With the help of a little GIS wizardry, Susan Spano and Aviva Shen map the 20 most cultured small towns in the U.S., from Gig Harbor, WA to Naples, FL and everywhere in between.

April 22, 2012 - Smithsonian

Mark Byrnes' slideshow introduces the most welcoming welcome signs in North America.

October 22, 2011 - The Atlantic

A week after the Ames straw poll in Iowa brought all the hype to America's heartland, Money magazine announces its annual ranking of the nation's best small cities. The Midwest dominates the Top 100 list, with the Northeast coming in second.

August 15, 2011 - Money

The U.S. Postal Services is considering a plan to close more than 3,600 of its 32,000 post offices. This piece from New Urban News looks at the impact of those closures on the small towns likely to be affected.

August 11, 2011 - New Urban News