Rural prosperity

Some rural areas of the U.S. are prospering. According to a new report to USDA Rural Development with the title, "Why Some Rural Communities Prosper While Others Do Not," 300 rural counties, and 200 mixed rural counties are more prosperous than the nation as a whole. Not the kind of news you'll here coming from most media outlets, who now deal exclusively in doom and gloom.

Despite its very utilitarian title, the report is worth reading, and certainly has applications for Maine, and economic development people, and others interested in parts of Maine that aren't Portland, Lewiston-Auburn, and Augusta--basically, something outside the narrow corridor bordering I-95, north and south (see map on page 10 of the report).

I learned about the report courtesy of Jack Schultz, on Twitter this time, instead of the usual blog post. Schultz is someone I've mentioned here before in the context of rural economic growth. Continue to avoid him at your peril.

Jack's now on Twitter, so if that's your cup of tea, you'll find him here.