Census data shows that Lacrosse, WA (pop. 315) and other small, rural towns are getting smaller. Some blame the Conservation Reserve Program. But Lacrosse and many others aren't going quietly - they're fighting to hang on.
"We're not dead yet," Mayor Larry "Butch" Burgess says of tiny Lacrosse, WA in this article by John Stucke.
Judging by the numbers, that seems to be where Lacrosse and many other small, rural towns are headed. The latest Census figures show Lacrosse's population dropped from 415 to 315, and businesses have been gradually closing. While cities and larger towns around the state are growing in numbers and vibrancy, Washington's small towns seem to be emptying out.
Many place the blame on the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP), which pays farmers not to till their land. Although it has many conservation benefits, the program means that farmers also won't be purchasing supplies from local stores or hiring employees, all of which can further speed small towns' decline.
In Lacrosse, though, Burgess is hopeful that community efforts to attract businesses and services and keep the school open will be enough to stem the demographic tide and keep the town alive.
Read the full story: Census: Dwindling small towns determined to fight extinction
Florida Farm Bill Blocks Local Bans on Gas-Powered Tools
The law also paves the way for agricultural uses on land previously designated for conservation.
Republicans are Pushing to Make the American Community Survey Voluntary. History Shows That’s a Death Sentence for Data.
A voluntary survey will make demographic data “less accurate, less available, and less useful” — and for some rural communities, “a total blackout.”
Making Solar Energy Land Use More Efficient
How an ‘ecovoltaic’ approach can balance energy production with conservation of sensitive land.
Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.
Eastern Nebraska is running out of electricity
Data centers and electrification are straining eastern Nebraska’s grid, throttling economic development.
Move over, LA: St. Louis gears up for Olympics, invests millions in downtown redevelopment
The Missouri city will host the 2028 Olympic soccer group stage and knockout matches.
Dallas releases zoning code overhaul to officials
The drafted overhaul is over 400 pages long.
NYC renovations for dangerous, ‘mercilessly crammed’ street delayed until 2027
Construction was supposed to begin this fall.
San Diego’s Midway Rising project gets greenlight from city council
The project looks to become the largest affordable housing development in California's history.
FREE Course: Walkable City 1: Why Walkability?
After describing his path towards focusing on walkability as the essence of good planning, Jeff Speck marches through his five principal reasons for making more walkable places.
Reinventing Malls: Planning Alchemy—Turning Gray Fields Into Gold
The course focuses on the opportunities and imperatives that shape reinvention of mall sites.
City of Rosemead
Rutgers University, Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy
One Hundred Miles
University of Michigan School for Environment and Sustainability (SEAS)
Hunter College, City University of New York (CUNY)
The Architects Foundation
City of Cambridge
The Pocatello Development Authority
The Urban Renewal Agency of the City of Pocatello