I recently watched a documentary on ancient civilizations.  One conclusion I walked away with is this: take a community’s people away, and its buildings and infrastructure will turn into ruins.  Leave its people and they will build another town, often better. 

Municipalities spend a lot of time talking about infrastructure.  But what about its people?  Economic growth (and resulting property values) is directly tied with a community`s ability to retain its residents.

Are people paying a premium to move into your community or are they there because they cannot afford a home anywhere else?

One of my main goal is to make Ward 8 (West Milton) the most desirable part of Milton.  People should not move here for cheap houses, they should be willing to a premium to be here.

“It used to be that jobs and economic opportunities drew migrants.  No longer.  Today’s populations are more mobile than ever.  Armed with information and freed by technology, today’s migrants choose their communities much more carefully than ever before.  Therefore, communities must be savvy in the retention and attraction of people.  In fact, if communities don’t inspire their citizens, they run the risk of becoming failed communities.”
- From “Beyond Economic Survival” by Centre for Innovative & Entrepreneurial Leadership.  Taken from the Rurban Fringe.

Click here to expand the rest of this article