Image Source: Watford City, ND
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Population spillover from nearby cities? The discovery of oil? These sound like great problems to have for local government leaders — and in some ways, they are. However, the process of meeting and maintaining the balance of new resident needs with the cultural integrity of the area can be a big challenge.
In the 1920s American folktale “The Little Engine That Could,” readers are introduced to an uphill challenge faced by a train filled with toys that needed to get to a group of excited kids on the other side of the mountain. Besting the challenge required a can-do attitude, the willingness to keep moving despite the naysayers, and the combined efforts of the train, the toys, and, of course, that spunky, little engine.
Recently, many elected officials in small towns are facing a common mountain that will require a similarly collaborative effort: figuring out how to handle expansive growth.
Shifting consumer preferences in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic are leading people to escape large cities for smaller, less harried environments. In 2024, USA Today reported 291,000 people moved from metro areas like Los Angeles, Chicago, and New York City to towns with populations under 250,000. Many are looking for new homes in even smaller places where their dollar goes further, traffic is a little lighter, and connecting with neighbors seems a lot more likely.
This presents a great opportunity for smaller communities, but not one without challenges. To gain control of their future, town officials must look forward with a strong plan both before and during a rapid population rise.
That was the case for Watford City, North Dakota, a community within a short drive from Theodore Roosevelt National Park, where a 500-percent population increase occurred from 2010 to 2020. Once a sleepy town of under 2,000 residents, Watford City experienced dramatic population growth when its oil fields became active again around 2008. Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, the population had swelled to 7,812 people. Currently, 6,020 residents call the community home.
“Everyone was coming here for work, and the town exploded overnight,” Watford City councilmember and lifelong resident Bethany Devlin said. “They were not ready for the people coming here, and the town couldn’t provide services for the amount of people it had.”
Even before they could start planning for the future, their first challenge was to meet the initial need for adequate housing for workers and their families.
Image Source: Watford City, ND
In Watford City with the sudden boom in population, officials knew they needed to start envisioning how they wanted the growth to look. Residents were clear that they didn’t want the temporary solutions of “man camps” and school children in trailers to become permanent.
“In the beginning, there were conditional use permits for temporary things,” Council Member Devlin said. “Then, they were able to get ordinances in place to protect the type of housing they wanted and zoning of certain areas. This came with backlash, but it was in the best interest of the community.”
To listen to residents and get them unified behind a vision, the town organized a strategic planning process in 2020. As a result, they were able to funnel funding to important infrastructure work like opening two daycare centers, a trade school, a hospital, and a law enforcement center. Clear zoning and land development rules attracted developers who built townhomes and apartments.
The town also built a multi-purpose community building called the Rough Rider Center, which was named in honor of the nearby Theodore Roosevelt National Park. It’s the go-to place for all sporting events, arts programs, and meetings for the oil and gas industry.
“Our city staff has increased a lot, too,” Council Member Devlin added. “When I was growing up, there were something like two people working in the city office. Now there are more than 20.”
Image Source: Watford City, ND
Some city officials, like those in Auburndale, Florida, start planning for growth long before the boom. Located in between the growing cities of Orlando and Tampa, this town has been focusing on building the infrastructure it needs for when — not if — the new residents arrive.
Their massive Lake Myrtle Sports Park, with tournaments that draw hundreds of teams from around the nation, and Florida Polytechnic University, with its attraction for research and development firms, are major economic drivers. As a result, Mayor Dorothea Bogert expects development to hit their boundaries in just a matter of years.
“We will be one of the first cities (in the region) to meet our boundaries,” she said. “We want to develop smart. Our goal is infrastructure, and it’s costly.”
That’s where the sports stadium and infrastructure helps to bring in tax dollars. They’re working with the Central Florida Development Council to draw in the right kind of development to support tourism and new residents. That new development is helping to pay for a new fire station, an extended sewer system, and new parks and recreation facilities.
As far as future residents, they’ll someday have the pick of homes in the new Lake District, which was born from land development regulations implemented last year to plan non-gated, mixed-use neighborhoods.
“It’s an exciting time in Auburndale, and we want to maintain the downtown area,” the mayor added. “We aren’t actively pursuing growth, but they’re coming. Our reputation is bringing people here.”
Chelsea Bulzomi, a Watford City council member, can relate. When she moved back to her hometown in 2015 after her husband completed his dental training, she knew its continued, steady growth required a focus on infrastructure.
She explained that many of the necessary infrastructure projects were funded by a Rough Rider Fund, which came from a 1-cent city sales tax established in 1998 and increased it to 1.5-cents during the height of the oil boom in 2017. That helps fund their popular Rib Fest, held at the end of October, as well.
Image Source: Watford City, ND
“We have a community that always shows up and supports big projects,” she said. “Focusing on infrastructure to support young families really helped shape the communities we have now.”
Elected officials agreed to allocate some of the voter-approved money to build a wastewater treatment plant for a projected 15,000 residents. Voters also approved a major bond for school construction, allowing city officials to collaborate with the school board to improve schools. They also partnered with the county and National Parks System, paving roadways so the oil trucks could be diverted from downtown.
“You have to collaborate with all the different entities,” Councilmember Bulzomi said. “For example, the Rough Rider Center is owned by the city, managed by the park district, and funded through the Rough Rider Fund and loans backed by gross production tax. The county provided $400,000 toward the center. It’s now the biggest attraction for young families in the community.”
She and her husband converted an old car dealership downtown into their dental office, and she said she loves being on an active and walkable Main Street that’s so different from her childhood.
“It still feels like a small town, and my hope is continued, steady growth,” she said. “Change is always scary, but growth was here whether we wanted it or not. Now it’s a great place to live and work.”
Another small town, Thompson’s Station in Tennessee, is adopting a long-term vision as its population increased from around 2,700 in 2014 to close to 11,000 today, said Mayor Brian Stover. Thirty minutes outside Nashville, Thompson’s Station has become attractive to potential residents because of its relatively low cost of living, good public schools, and safe environment. Establishing these qualities and others is a product of clear, forward-focused residential development planning.
When Mayor Stover first ran for office in 2016, the wastewater plant was struggling with capacity, and there was fear that the beautiful nature setting that set the area apart would be sacrificed for growth.
After all, the quaint town was just a 30-minute drive from Nashville, which isn’t far behind the big cities in Texas, Florida, and Arizona for growth itself. Elected officials knew it was only a matter of time before the big city residents there would discover the access to the pretty countryside and great schools of their little town.
Image Source: Watford City, ND
To address the concerns, the city adopted a land development ordinance that focused construction into clusters — preserving as much green space as possible. It was forward-thinking that helped them create the kind of growth that worked for everyone.
“You have to sit down and put it on paper. Then you have to execute the plan,” Mayor Stover said of the lessons the town has learned during its growth phase. “You have to stand firm on what your vision is and move forward.”
They used impact fees and revenue from commercial sales tax to help pay for new road construction projects, and they rebuilt the wastewater treatment facility. They also moved the town hall into a renovated barn in one of the new residential developments. That move offered space for new offerings in their downtown, for which they recently received a grant for redevelopment efforts.
Like in Watford City, Thompson’s Station officials know that the growth they’ve seen already is just the beginning. They know they can reach new heights, too.
“When I was growing up, this was farmland, every bit of it. We want to grow, but at a controlled rate,” he said. “A town that is not growing is dying.”
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