Small-town decline featured in One Read program

An abandoned building in Fulton is just one example of the effects of small town decline in America.
An abandoned building in Fulton is just one example of the effects of small town decline in America.

The decline of small-town America can be described through economic, as well as scientific means, according to a local economist.
"It's survival of the fittest," said Steve Huenneke, assistant professor of economics at William Woods University. "People sometimes don't really understand what that means. The ones that make the smart decisions and adapt - those are the ones that survive."
Huenneke spoke Tuesday evening at a discussion about the One Read program's chosen book, "Bettyville" by George Hodgman. Throughout the story, the author draws a parallel between his ill mother and the decline of small-town America, Huenneke said.
"The book was a beautiful metaphor," he said. "Here was a man caring for his elderly mom on the edge of life and death, and he compared it to towns on the edge of life and death."
Huenneke, who specializes in regional economics, said the economic problems small towns are facing can be better understood.
"Biology, physiology can be a key way to understand economics," he said. "When I look at the economy, I see biological relationships. I think of it like blood circulation. If you have healthy blood flow, your body is healthy."
The economic function of a town can be broken down to cash flow, much like oxygen flow to the body, Huenneke added.
"In a town, the economic base is an export of goods and services," he said. "People leave the town, go into the outside world, and bring their dollars back. If you don't have that, you don't have anything."
Specifically, in Fulton, economic bases are driven by students. However, students also struggle to remain in town after completing their education.
"What are the economic bases of Fulton? (The colleges) are examples of the economic base," he said. "You come to school, and you spend your dollars here. Then part of the problem is out migration - young people leaving because they don't see opportunity."
One of the ways people can fight the decline is to diversify the local economy and innovate, Huenneke said.
"To have vitality, a town needs breadth," he said. "People develop a closed mentality and don't have any imagination to think about the future of their town, so they contribute to the town dying. We need to look at the problems and reboot them, not just say that's the way it is."
Economic devastation
One of the biggest contributors of a declining local economy in a small town is caused by people leaving the town to shop elsewhere, economists often say.
"Out shopping is devastating to a little town," Huenneke said. "When people out shop, they take away from their town's depth. It's part of the natural order of things, and fewer dollars stay in the community."
Debbie LaRue, a member of the Brick District board, said small-town decline also can be the result of technological advancement.
"One of the main reasons, I would say, is the internet," she said. "People are shopping online so much. It's easy access and items can be delivered to their doors."
Shopping digitally, as opposed to shopping at local stores, can have unintended consequences, LaRue said.
"It can be detrimental to the local shops," she said. "When area students come to the merchants and ask for support for their activities, sometimes merchants won't donate because business is declining."
Another reason small merchants sometimes can't keep their doors open is bigger competition moving in town, Huenneke said.
"It's better for the shopper; they feel like they're saving time and money," he said. "But what's the effect? If Walmart creates one job, how many retail jobs are lost? It has an interesting effect on rural employment."
In fact, Huenneke said Walmart has had more impact on the economy and culture than any other significant discovery in the last 40 years.
"People think smartphones and technology are the biggest things to change in the last 40 years, but they're not," he said. "It's Walmart. It changed the economy and the culture. It made it so retailers dictate the manufacturing price. The dollars that are spent there, they're gone."
Change
All towns, at one point or another, will face some sort of change, Huenneke said. Changes in a community generally have two outcomes.
"When things change, towns either rise or fall," he said. "The family farm used to be an economic base. Income came in and families would shop; people were there. When you have fewer farms that are larger, family farms break up, and money leaves the town."
Changing the town to weather the storm is necessary and needs to be implemented with care, Huenneke added.
"You want to find the middle ground where you're not being complacent, and not opposed to change," he said. "You need to think, 'How can we do to make this better?' and 'How can we do something new?' Let's be brave enough to try something."
LaRue said positive results will come from supporting local events and businesses, something the Fulton community has been successful at in recent years.
"I think in order to stop the decline, we need to support the efforts going on in our small towns," she added. "There are many hard-working individuals who are dedicated to our community. We need to attend the events and fundraisers to help support what's going on locally."
Outside of simply buying local, LaRue said there are many ways people can help fight the decline of small-town America.
"Whether it is helping haul tables for an event or helping clean up, there are many ways we can help," she said. "Help spread the word about events. There are many good ways to use social media and the internet to help the community."