The resurgence of manufacturing and energy development has helped many smaller towns

Joel Kotkin writes in Forbes,

America’s smaller communities are far more diverse --- and have far greater potential -- than is commonly believed. The resurgence of manufacturing and energy development has helped many smaller towns (these sectors tend to be more critical to smaller economies). Recent demographic data show a movement away from expensive coastal cities, including millennials, who tend to look for affordable single-family homes. The number of rural home mortgages has increased for five straight years, though the increase trails the rate in urban areas, and nearly twice as many millennials, according to the National Association of Realtors, bought homes in small cities or rural areas last year than in denser urban areas.

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