Increasing numbers of Americans are finding themselves dissatisfied with "big city" life.  A 1998 poll by Professional Builder Magazine asked participants to select the ideal site to build a home.  Two-thirds said they would break ground far away from any major city.  39% of Americans surveyed by Adweek in 2002 chose small towns as the best places to live, citing "sense of community" and "friendlier people" as the key reasons.  The U.S. Census Bureau recently reported that 235,000 families moved from metropolitan areas to nonmetropolitan regions in 2006 - that is an average of 640 families per day.

 

The question posed by Bizjournals was, "where is the best place for them to go?" They identified America's top "Dreamtowns" - the small towns that offer the best quality of life without metropolitan hassles.  Where did Allegan rank?  15th in the nation!  Bizjournals compared 140 metropolitan areas in 20 statistical categories, using data from the U.S. Census Bureau.  The highest scores went to well-rounded places with light traffic, healthy economies, moderate cost of living, impressive housing stocks, strong educational systems, and easy access to big-city attractions.

 

It is easy to look around and see things in yourself, your family, your house, and your town that you wish you could change.  There is always room for improvement and certainly improvement is what we strive for.  But as you take a look around the community and wish for somewhere over the rainbow, remember what Dorothy learned, "If I ever go looking for my heart's desire again, I won't look any further than my own backyard. Because if it isn't there, I never really lost it to begin with!"  

 

*excerpts from Bizjournals; July 21, 2008