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| 'Boomtown, USA author ranks city in top 100 Says if elite, top-10 list existed, Prescott would be on it By CINDY BARKS The Daily Courier |
| PRESCOTT - For author Jack Schultz, a visit to Prescott validated his decision to include the community on the list of 100 top small towns in the country. In fact, Schultz told a crowd of about 75 locals on Tuesday that Prescott likely would have been on an even more elite list, had he designated one. "After taking a tour of your community, I see that we made the right decision in naming you in the top 100," Schultz said of the list of "Golden Eagle" communities in his book, "Boomtown, USA." Added Schultz: "In fact, if we had a top-10 list in the book, Prescott likely would be on it." Calling Prescotts downtown "one of the best I have seen," Schultz also lauded the diversification of the business community, saying that Prescott is " the epitome of where small towns are going to go in the future." Even so, Schultz pointed out that Prescott has its negative side as well. "The only thing that concerned me was the growth in your per-capita income," Schultz told the crowd. "It is below the national average. You really need to create more high-value jobs in the community." Schultz was in town this week to talk about his book, "Boomtown USA, The 7-1/2 Keys to Success in Small Towns." The City of Prescott and the Prescott Chamber of Commerce sponsored the luncheon presentation at the Hassayampa Inn Tuesday. Schultz explained that he originally chose several thousand communities that fit his basic criteria: communities not near a major metropolitan area, and showing growth in population or employment and per-capita income. After coming up with 2,320 counties that qualified, Schultz contacted state economic development divisions, asking for recommendations. He then narrowed the list down to 1,231 counties, which he researched in detail, and further narrowed the list to 771 counties. The next step was a second, more detailed survey that went out to chambers of commerce, economic developers, mayors and city managers. That second survey focused on whether the communities followed the books 7-1/2 steps to success, which included things such as "adopt a can-do attitude," "shape your vision," and "build your brand." Ultimately, Schulz came up with 397 top small towns in the country, which he listed in the book. The top 100 of those comprised the "Golden Eagles" list. Prescott and the Tombstone/Bisbee area were the only two in Arizona to make the top list. Eager, Globe, Snowflake and Thatcher were among the broader list of 397 top towns. Schultz, who has been involved with economic development for 15 years, said he became interested in identifying successful strategies after noticing that some small towns seemed to thrive, while others died. "Some communities are doing wonderfully, and the one next to it can be dead in the water," Schultz said. He maintained that it comes down to a matter of making good choices at crucial moments. "Communities like Prescott often come to forks in the road," he said. "Some make good decisions, and some make not-so-good decisions." Schultz maintained that now is a good time for small towns to flourish because of a population shift that is under way. Indeed, for most Prescottonians, Schultzs idea of a "third wave" of migration that is bringing people from the cities and suburbs to small towns is nothing new. For years, Prescott has seen an influx of such residents. Schultz said the first shift occurred in America when farmers relocated to cities to be near industrial jobs. The second wave was from the cities to the suburbs. He attributes the current "third wave" to advances in technology, which allows workers to bring their jobs to where they want to live. Schultz said the migration is creating a new category of small town, which he termed "agurbs." Schultz, the CEO of an industrial development firm, lives in Effingham, Ill. His stop in Prescott was one of many he has made recently while traveling around the country to promote his book. |