The Gallup organization recently released an interesting survey. When it asked people what kind of community they would live in if they could go anywhere they wished, the top response was a rural area.
According to the survey, only 15 percent of Americans live outside a city, suburb or town. But 27 percent of those surveyed wish they could live in the country. Another 12 percent would prefer to live in a small town.
In case anybody in a big city is reading this, here’s the reaction from a small-town newspaper: Go for it! Small towns like this one could make great use of ideas, energy and investment from larger-market expatriates.
The survey results indicate that one appealing thing to residents of larger areas is that there’s less of everything in smaller communities. Sometimes this is good, such as when you compare traffic or population per square mile.
But sometimes it’s not good. Small towns have fewer high-paying jobs and restaurants and less entertainment. In Greenwood, the most obvious and talked-about example of less is the absence of a movie theater.
Here’s the real problem: In recent years, small towns and rural communities have been hit by a declining population. Even worse, the exodus has been especially severe among young adults, many of them college graduates. When they leave, not only do they take their brain power with them but often other people, too, such as their friends or their parents, who move away upon retirement to be closer to their children and grandchildren.
Maybe it’s always been this way. If small towns could have kept all the smart people who grew up in them, they wouldn’t be so small. But with today’s economy dominated by large, out-of-town companies, it is more difficult for smaller communities to keep existing residents and attract a few new ones. And it’s harder to start almost any type of business that can compete in a small town.
It’s impossible to blame anyone from a small town who’s attracted to the bright lights of a bustling larger city. So that’s why it’s fascinating to see any survey that says more people, obviously including some who live in big cities, say they’d rather be in the country or small towns.
Maybe it’s because people have an idyllic view of small-town life that may not always match reality — the old “grass is always greener on the other side of the fence” mentality. But there are also real advantages to living in a place where the pace is less hurried and the people are more connected to each other.
A story in The Washington Post about the Gallup survey said this: “Happiness and well-being tend to be higher in rural areas than in urban ones. Urban areas also see higher rates of mental illness and poverty.” Those are differences that small communities can sell — although Mississippi’s small towns can certainly compete with any location on poverty rates.
One thing small towns unquestionably offer is the opportunity for good people to make a noticeable difference. Now it’s up to a few people in large cities to act on their wishful thinking.
