When There's Not Much Town To Govern

The Great Plains frontier is faced with shrinking populations and mounting poverty, making government services difficult to deliver.

1 minute read

February 14, 2003, 1:00 PM PST

By Chris Steins @planetizen

"To cope, it's trying everything from virtual schools to mobile 'hospitals'... With a dwindling population and tax base, this expanse of rolling farmland and brick storefronts is straining to maintain services for 2,600 residents spread over nearly 1,000 square miles. Never mind that median household income falls $600 below that of the poorest state in the Union. Or that the typical resident here has edged a decade closer to retirement than the national norm.Somehow, the innovators of Adams - and other Great Plains counties like it - are finding ways to keep things running. "

Thanks to Chris Steins

FULL STORY: Town government ... when there's not much town to govern

Thursday, February 13, 2003 in The Christian Science Monitor

Community / Economic Development North Dakota

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