Though Louisiana is perhaps best known for its larger cities, we are a very rural state. Small town life is a valuable part of our cultural fabric and experience. Small towns in Louisiana are home to unique festivals such as the Mamou Mardi Gras, the Frog Festival in Rayne, and the Shrimp and Petroleum Festival in Morgan City. Creole architecture, Cajun dance, unique cuisine such as cochon de lait, crawfish boils and cracklins–and both the Boudin Capital of the World, (the town of Scott) and the Boudin Capital of the Universe (the town of Jennings) can be found in small town Louisiana.
However, as journalists Lanny Keller and Mark Ballard of The Advocate have described in painful detail, many of Louisiana’s small towns are in decline–losing population and facing failing infrastructure and fiscal crises.
Ross DeVol is a renowned economist, CEO of Heartland Forward, and no stranger to small towns. DeVol was born in the small town of Mount Vernon, Ohio and spent most of his youth in the even smaller town of Millersport, Ohio. As an economist, DeVol observed that smaller towns throughout the U.S. Heartland (which he defines broadly, and includes Louisiana) were underperforming compared to counterparts in other regions. With support from the Walton Family Foundation, he set out to find out what makes the difference between thriving small towns and those that are struggling to survive. DeVol developed “The Most Dynamic Micropolitans Index,” which ranks 531 U.S. micropolitans according to their economic performance, broken down by specific indicators that contribute to that performance.
CPEX is bringing Ross DeVol to our Smart Growth Summit on November 12th to share his findings on both small towns (micropolitans) and larger metros (metropolitans) in depth. In advance of his visit, we chatted with him to get a sneak peek into the insights he has for Louisiana.
What compelled you to pursue this research?
Micropolitan statistical areas can help us understand economic trends throughout the county, but there hasn’t been much analysis of their economic performance. I wanted to see if there was an opportunity to start a new “think and do tank” in the Heartland. I thought there was a need for a broader, shared, more inclusive approach to economic development.
Your research found that small towns with strong tourism and recreation sectors were among those with the most robust economies. What’s the connection?
Strong tourism and recreation sectors are closely linked to quality of place–it’s hard to talk about economic development without talking about quality of place. Quality of place attributes are connected to economic development through the people you want to attract. Without it, you won’t retain and you certainly won’t attract the young talent you’re after. In today’s economy, jobs follow people, and talented workers choose where they want to live before they find a job. So quality of place attributes become of utmost importance. One day, visits may turn into new residents.
Many small towns in Louisiana suffer from high poverty levels and face a range of challenges. Where should they start when it comes to economic development?
There’s no standard scorecard, but it’s important to leverage the assets you have–it may be cultural, or you may have a community college or some under-leveraged natural asset. Focusing on a good k-12 school system, transportation, and access to health care are important basics. Having an educated workforce attracts jobs.
What should towns whose economies are closely linked to the oil and gas industry be thinking about?
It depends on whether they’re upstream or downstream. There’s a great deal of volatility in the oil and gas industry, so my perspective is you want to leverage your location advantage, which may mean transporting LNG, but I’d be concerned that they could be over-reliant on this for the long term. As I would tell anyone, you have to be very careful about being over-reliant on any one industry because you’re at the whim of things you can’t control.
What did you see in your study that economic development strategies were missing?
You cannot rely upon chasing smokestacks, looking for a home run. A block and tackle approach is better–focus on taking care of your own. You need to diversify your approach and, most importantly, start and grow your own companies. It’s also important to be open and tolerant of people that aren’t just like you.