Definition
From our perspective, towns are described as generally an independent municipality (incorporated or chartered) that could range in population from 1,000 (village) to 50,000 (small city) people with most commonly of 5,000-20,000 people. Depending on the type of state government, towns and townships tend to be more common in commonwealths (i.e. there are more than 2,500 in Pennsylvania), throughout New England and where counties are less powerful. For instance in Maryland the counties are very strong so there are less than 200 municipalities.
The Past
Towns usually were located where a node of inter-modal transportation was important to their settlers. Early transportation was primarily by horse and then pathways created for wagons and carriages. They connected to water such as a creek or river and later to a broader network of railroads. During these periods, a dominant industry or two took advantage of the natural and man-made infrastructure and became an economic driver establishing a community of thriving cultures and commerce in each town. Eventually cars had a dual effect – they allowed people to get around more freely but also started to rip apart the need for compact and walkable towns. By the latter part of the twentieth century, municipalities allowed the sprawl of new construction and growth to occur away from the town and at the expense of a deteriorating downtown.
What’s Next
The twenty-first century has witnessed a strong resurgence of job and resident growth within cities throughout the World. While this trend cannot be ignored for decades, we believe that there continue to be significant challenges to overcome in cities to achieve the quality of life that Americans still hold dear.
As the Millennial cohort matures to start families, we believe there will be a renewed desire to live in the environment that towns provide. They will want the walk-ability to shops and restaurants and connections via public transportation. But they will want to spend less time worrying about traffic or crime or finding good schools for their children. The suburbs are challenged in providing all of these factors. Thefore leading people to once again desire the balanced benefits offered by towns including the affordable costs of living, playing and working close by.
But not all towns are equal. Some will only be satellite (bedroom) communities to larger towns and cities. Sustainability is dependent on a solid economic base. The towns that will thrive are ones that embrace and promote sources of funding that come from outside the community. Such bases can be natural or man-made, including attracting tourists for historic, environmental or cultural uniqueness to creating and selling products and goods for export to neighboring towns or via the Internet. Other important industries include education and medical care.
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