Challenges for Transitional Towns

“Only 18% of the land area is privately owned in the state. The rest is owned by the Federal and State Governments,” was a surprising retort to a comment that I made about relative high land values in Willcox compared to other rural areas that I visit. Willcox is starting to see developers come out of Phoenix and Tucson, even though they are hours away, because of the rapid growth of those towns and the shortage of developable land. My guess is that Willcox and other small AZ towns are on the cusp of dramatic growth because of the changing demographics in the USA and the lure of AZ’s weather.

One of the main challenges of small towns with the potential of a Willcox is how to manage the growth in a way that maintains the heritage and feel of a small town while at the same time creating new opportunities for the citizens of the community. Willcox is not a wealthy town, 27% of the citizens live below the poverty level. But, the interest conveyed and the passion that many expressed for their community showed me that they had a very serious interest in doing what was best for the community.

Towns like Willcox need to proactively decide what they want to be and make sure that they set their bar high as they begin the process of transforming their community, hopefully for the better, in the face of the onslaught of rapid growth. Strong leadership with a clear vision of the future could make for a very interesting transformation.