midlandpurple.jpgA CBV reader submitted this recent story from NPR that offers up the issue of what demographer Kenneth Johnson refers to as “amenity migrants.” From the story:

More and more Americans are flocking to resort-like cities, places like Flagstaff, Ariz., a quaint college town near the Grand Canyon. For some, it’s a move to paradise. But it can come with a steep price….
“Like many of us, they would say, ‘Boy, when I can, I would really like to live in one of these beautiful, scenic areas,’” Johnson said. “And as they get close to retirement, they can fulfill those wishes” — either in full retirement or by working a more flexible schedule.

Later, the NPR story quotes a lifetime Flagstaff, AZ man as saying,

“People come to the nice little mountain town. So pretty soon, guess what, they want to live here or at least have a part-time home,” Babbitt said. The first thing many of them want to do after arriving, Babbitt said, is to “start to change it into the place where they came from: another park, or some walking trails near their home or, God forbid, a Starbucks.”

In a 2006 Carsey Institute study entitled, Demographic Trends in Rural and Small Town America, Johnson writes of Chaffee County:

Chaffee is not adjacent to a metropolitan area nor does it contain a micropolitan center, but it does have several things going for it. It ranks high on the amenity scale, offers recreational opportunities and is also a retirement destination. From 1990 to 2000, its population grew by 28 percent fueled by a 29 percent net migration gain. This gain was thanks largely to the arrival of newcomers fleeing growing congestion and dense settlement in Denver and elsewhere in the Front Range.

To the NPR story, our CBV reader responds, “The worst thing we can do is try to prevent any growth; second worst is not to anticipate growth, shape it, manage it, and prepare for it.”

You Should Also Check Out This Post:

More Active Posts: