Audio resources

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Listen to a unique way one rural Kansas county found to bring new residents to the area - offering free land!  How did it work and what were the results? 

Many of us live in smaller towns or rural areas. Perhaps you’re like me and wonder how you could or if you should attract a new generation back to the area you live?  It’s a big challenge, and I’ll take you to one small town that others use as an example of what to do and how to do it.

Becky McCray is a rancher in northwestern Oklahoma. She is one of the founders of SaveYour.Town, a website and movement to help others in rural and agricultural America save their town and help it thrive. Learn the keys she shares to help revitalize the place you live.

Are small towns dying or thriving? It depends on who you ask and where you travel. Learn how Faribault, MN community members have adopted initiatives that have brought many new businesses back downtown and locals and visitors to town for many events. It’s a “how to” on small town revitalization.

I had heard about something called “100 Plus for Perry.” So I made a trip to Perry, Iowa to check it out. What I found was local citizens committing to write checks to help a number of causes close to home. It’s a great way to raise big dollars quickly to support the local community.

You wouldn’t expect a chef from Tuscany to be dishing up food in the small town of Mulvane, Kansas. Learn how this place convinced absentee property owners to be a part of the process of bringing this town back to life. It’s a plan that could work in much of rural and agricultural America. 

When you drive into White Cloud, Kansas along the banks of the Missouri River, some people will see a ghost town. Others will see a town springing back to life. If you ask Deb Bryan about what’s taking place here, she’ll tell you her personal story of helping restore this place to vibrancy.

 Learn how this well-known ranch identified the biggest need in their community and set about raising the dollars to turn the fortunes of their small town. 

The perception is that small rural towns are shrinking. In many cases that is true. However, research shows that towns can be very successful whether they are growing or shrinking. Learn what one multi-year study says are the most important things small towns must do in order to survive and thrive. 

Of course the idea is to do the opposite, but here's our podcast with Doug Giffiths who literally wrote the book on what we can do to help build up the places we live and work.  

Ron Drake wrote a book by the same name. In this interview, we discuss how successful small towns flip the script to create a place that prospers. 

This is a story that should inspire all of us in rural America. Learn how the small town of Shickley, Nebraska, began to share their story and what they hoped to do in the future. In the process they’ve raised $8 million!