10 Jan Rural Revival: Dream it. See it. Believe it.
By: Katie Brinkman, Junior at Iowa State University, (Early, Iowa)
As she sat in the local coffee shop, sipping on hot chai, watching the hustle and bustle of the city life take place on the local city streets, this small-town girl found herself entranced and dreaming of the what if’s in life. Living the life in a suburb of Des Moines as a successful physical therapist, this Iowa native, Jaime England, knew she was destined for more. She had dreams of moving back to her hometown of Manning, closer to family, but she also wanted to bring all of the amenities that she had come to love in the city, back with her. Manning had a small café at the time, but she decided that if she wanted to live the life she dreamed of, she would have to invest her time and energy to create the life she dreamed of.
England, her husband and two children decided to take the leap of faith and move back home. Jaime took on the challenge of the big, empty storefront on Main Street and created an experience many have grown to love. Today, the Market Place is now packed full of housewares, furnishings, women’s clothing and even an upscale coffee bar.
Rural America was once a dominant part of the United States, making up 60% of the population in 1900. In 2016, it only made up 19.3% of the population, according to the Census Bureau. This movement of people to big, urbanized cities from small, rural towns is described as rural flight. What once were thriving and vibrant small towns, rural communities struggle to remain appealing and relevant to younger generations.
Lack of amenities, such as entertainment, are just one need that small communities struggle to provide. Allison Kistenmacher, originally from the northwest Iowa town of Schaller, attended AIB College of Business for one year after high school. Compared to Schaller, Des Moines had plenty of opportunities, such as concerts or movie theaters, to let loose and have fun with friends. If you’re lucky, small towns have only a few bars and restaurants.
“It’s hard to find things to do,” Kistenmacher said.
So, what is Iowa doing to combat rural flight?
“From 50 to 5,000 towns, each community has different needs, and we’re here to help them envision solutions to those needs,” said Ron Reischl, a member of the Grow Rural Iowa Task Force.
The Grow Rural Iowa Task Force is one of three committees under Gov. Kim Reynolds’s Empower Rural Iowa Initiative, signed on July 18, 2018. The initiative establishes a partnership with the Iowa Rural Development Council to identify needed legislative, regulatory and policy changes. Recommendations are provided by an executive committee and three task forces: Invest in Rural Iowa Task Force, the Grow Rural Iowa Task Force and the Connect Rural Iowa Task Force
“The initiative helps provide resources to help empower community members who are passionate about their community,” Reischl said.
The Invest in Rural Iowa Task Force focuses its recommendations on improving access to quality housing in rural Iowa. The Grow Rural Iowa Task Force works to identify ways to encourage leadership development and strategic development in rural communities. The Connect Rural Iowa Task Force is in charge of effectively and sustainably financing connectivity.
Meeting for about a year now, the Grow Rural Iowa Task Force offers leadership classes to introduce leadership practices and skills. They also meet with communities to help them identify their needs and envision ideas in town meetings, and they empower community members to make those ideas a reality.
“Some don’t realize what opportunities and resources that are available in small towns,” said Shelly Greving, owner of Emerge Marketing Solutions.
Greving grew up in the southcentral Iowa town of Chariton, where she was always involved in the community. She loved being part of many extracurricular activities and community projects and enjoyed the relationships she developed through them. Greving left Chariton to attend Iowa State University and pursue a degree in graphic design. After graduating, she moved to Des Moines to start her career.
“I missed living in a small town, though,” Greving said. “I didn’t feel that sense of community, that closeness in Des Moines.”
However, she felt that many of her friends and family expected her to move to a big city. Greving had received applied for jobs and had interviews lined up in cities, such as Kansas City, Chicago, Omaha and Minneapolis. After interviewing in those areas, she knew for sure that living and settling down in a big city just wasn’t for her.
Greving now operates a marketing firm near Manning that was founded on the idea to help revitalize rural Iowa through strategic planning, brand development, marketing and communications.
“Revitalizing rural Iowa is a multifaceted concept and has many moving parts,” Greving said. “I want to inspire people to think bigger than themselves, create actionable plans and help them realize their goals.”
By working with entrepreneurs and community leaders, Greving helps their organizations get to where they want to be with the services she provides. She always knew she wanted to start a business that would help others. After about 15 years of visualizing this dream, Greving realized that this business wasn’t just about serving one community, but about making a difference for many.
“For me personally, becoming an entrepreneur was more about achieving a lifestyle that I wanted for me and my family while making a difference for others,” Greving said. “I wanted to be able to balance my faith, family and financial freedom.”
To some like Greving, a lack of career opportunities doesn’t deter them coming back to rural Iowa. They make their own jobs.
Like Jaime, who had dreamed of moving closer to home, she sought out ways to make her dream come to life. England applied for a grant through the Main Street Iowa program to renovate the storefront and, eventually, was granted the money. Jaime turned the largest storefront in Manning into a bustling home store and coffee shop called the Market Place.
“People want to see their community thrive,” England said, “and [Main Street Manning] has helped to provide so many opportunities.”
Main Street Manning is a program that is under state guidance of Main Street Iowa and under national guidance of Main Street America and the National Trust for Historic Preservation. The goal of Main Street Manning is to preserve and revitalize Manning’s historic downtown and to stimulate business, residential and recreational growth. Through the coordinated efforts of volunteers, private businesses and local government, Main Street Manning is able to achieve its goals.
“Young people are starting to step up to the plate and their ideas are vibrant,” Reischl said, the Main Street Manning Business Improvement Committee Chair.
There are still a few challenges that small communities must address, such as the generational gap. According to the State Data Center of Iowa and the Iowa Department on Aging, those 65 and older account for 16.7% of Iowa’s population as of 2017. The percentage is expected to reach almost 20% by 2050.
Along with this, retiring community leaders are having trouble handing over leadership to younger generations.
“The older generation has worked very hard to keep their communities afloat,” Greving said. “Therefore, they have a hard time handing over the reins, for fear that their community might go by the wayside.”
Many young people are willing to put the time and effort in to help make their community prosper, said England. Helping to develop ideas, such as trails and parks, are just some of the ways the younger generation are starting to lead their communities.
“I love being able to take part and help out in town celebrations and other community events,” Kistenmacher said.
Similar to Greving, Kistenmacher knew, deep down, that she wanted to come back to rural Iowa. When AIB closed in the summer of 2016, she transferred to Buena Vista to continue her degree in business. Professors there had tried to persuade her to apply for jobs in big cities, but she knew that lifestyle wasn’t right for her.
Currently living in Holstein, she looks forward to getting more involved in the community, such as community projects and town celebrations, because she knows that if you support the community, the community will come together to support you.
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