Small Town Impact Question

So the real question is, if the small town grows, will it lose the character that makes it appealing in the first place?

Let me start from the beginning. I grew up in a small town in the middle of Illinois called Clinton. The town has a town square, restaurants owned by the locals, three car dealerships (Ford, Chevy, Chrysler) and the major source of income is the nuclear power plant about 7 miles out of town. There are four cities around Clinton. Bloomington to the North 25 minutes, Decatur to the South 25 minutes, Champaign and Springfield are 45 minutes East and West. Basically, if you drew a line on the North and South, East and West, you would place it on Clinton.

Clinton has history. Abraham Lincoln made the statement, “you can fool some of the people some of the time, all of the people some of the time, but not all of the people all of the time” on Clinton’s town square in front of the courthouse. Abraham practiced law there as well.

Clinton was also known for being the home of RevereWare copper bottom pans and skillets. When Corning purchased Revere, they shut down the plant and moved manufacturing to Asia. If you have older RevereWare, look on the bottom. Every pan made had Clinton, Ill stamped on it.

Now, besides the power plant, the economy of the town is somewhat depressed. Not as bad as other small towns, but it has definitely seen better days.

I am having a recurring dream of moving home and taking over as the Chamber of Commerce director, an entrepreneur, or just using my contacts to change the economics of the town. I am sure I know what needs to be done, and in my dream, I move things forward toward accomplishing everything. Clinton becomes the hot spot for recreation, entertainment, food, and shopping with that Victorian town feel.

The Magill House would be renovated to become a 200 room Victorian suites hotel. The old Spurgeons building would become my new media store. The Clintonia theater was rebuilt as a dinner theater / conference center with all new equipment. Out on the edge of town by the high school was the largest indoor and outdoor waterpark and hotel owned by Kalahari. Next to is it the 10 theater movie with 1 IMAX screen. Across the street lies the Central Illinois civic center, playing top music, plays, comics and such.

Out toward the North end of town, a specialized technology school would be erected specifically with personal growth in mind. Much like the military, schooling would be free. However, you would be locked into a 2, 3, or 4 year contract at a lower than market pay with the company. The company would be responsible for developing software, system monitoring and managing of computer networks. This is to compete with the India and China based companies. In depressed economies, this is a perfect way to compete.

Housing would also go through updates. Staying with the Victorian themes, light housing would be rebuilt as English Row townhomes. Large Victorian house style apartment buildings would be erected. Part of the problem with small towns is the age categories. Advancements in education, additions of culture, and increased area revenue will bring more business and money to the area.

But the important question that keeps lingering in my mind and is usually the cause for me remembering a dream (I rarely remember dreams) is, if the small town grows, will it lose the character that made it appealing in the first place? I have to wonder if bringing all of these changes will make the small town feel disappear. If that happens, is it a good thing? One of the reasons, I want to stick with Victorian houses is because there are so many already in Clinton. I want to bring progress to the town, but at what cost?

When I was young, I still I could ride my bike anywhere in town and my Mother would always know exactly where I was. If growth took over, the doors around town would start getting locked, the children wouldn’t be able to go anywhere in town and still be within reach by a two-way handheld radio. Cruising the square as a teenager would not be a social activity. They would all have jobs and most often be working.