The Growing Clout Of 'Micropolitans'

"Marketers and demographers are starting to pay attention to places like Granbury: growing population centers far removed from the nearest large city, often 100 miles or more. They are drawing refugees both from rural America and suburbia, offering some of the cultural attractions and conveniences of cities without all the expenses and liabilities of urban sprawl... Last summer, the U.S. Census Bureau officially recognized these places as 'micropolitan' areas. To qualify, a locale must have at least one town of 10,000 to 49,999 people -- and it can have several of these -- and proportionally few of its residents commuting outside the area. The government figured there were 567 such micropolises in the continental U.S. More than 28 million people, or one in 10 Americans, reside in them."