Although the vast majority of Americans live in urban areas (83.5%), would they change their geographic location to a smaller community if given the opportunity? Several indicators point to a strong affinity for smaller communities. From a recent BizJournals article:

• A 2005 poll by Where to Retire magazine found that only 8 percent of respondents were planning to spend their golden years in urban centers. The other 92 percent were opting for retirement in rural towns or suburbs.
• Thirty-nine percent of Americans surveyed by Adweek in 2002 chose small towns as the best places to live, citing “sense of community” and “friendlier people” as the key reasons. Suburbs and big cities were picked by 27 percent and 21 percent, respectively.
• A 1998 poll by Professional Builder magazine asked participants to select the ideal site to build a home. Two-thirds said they would break ground far from any major city.

Unfortunately, few act on these desires for simpler, more sustainable living arrangements. Forces beyond their control (at least their perceived control) seem to keep them tethered to larger, more expensive urban centers. Probably the most obvious of these forces is job opportunities, although as telecommuting grows this may wane as a barrier.

Some are bucking the trend, however. The U.S. Census Bureau recently reported that 235,000 families moved from metropolitan areas to nonmetropolitan regions in 2006 — an average of 640 families per day.

In addition to the obstacle of a perceived lack of job opportunities in smaller cities and towns, there are other obstacles that need to be overcome in order to encourage urban dwellers to spread out:

• Cultural amenities – While there is no way a smaller city can match the breadth and depth of cultural offerings in a San Francisco, New York or Chicago, there are often “enough” cultural assets to assuage the fear that a small city is a cultural backwater. And when the average adult tallies up how often they attend the ballet or a concert, it may not be worth the extra cost and frustration of living in a larger city. It may be more cost effective to take a couple of “big city” getaways while living in a smaller area. 
• Diversity – For the growing number of 1st and 2nd generation immigrants, having an established immigrant community is very attractive. And even non-immigrant families are attracted to the rich cultural diversity of larger cities. Many smaller cities lack this, making it more difficult to attract newcomers.
• Modern Housing – Many smaller communities, having lost quite a few citizens over the years, are often stuck with older housing stock that – while inexpensive – is unattractive for new families or established, career-minded families.
• Academic Options – Heads of career-minded families are often concerned about the quality and diversity of academic options in a smaller area, both for their children and themselves for ongoing career growth.

Many of the top small cities are located near larger metro areas (e.g., Morgantown, WV), thereby alleviating some of these obstacles. Cities like Charleston are not so close to major cities and must invest in overcoming these obstacles.

West Virgina small cities ranked fairly low in BizJournal’s list of 140 “Micropolitan” areas with population between 10,000 and 50,000 residents and with a regional population of at least 65,000 (larger regions such as Charleston and Huntington were not eligible for this list): Beckley #79, Clarksburg #101, and Bluefield #119. West Virginia’s low rankings had a lot to do with past population loss and low job growth. Here is a list of how BizJournals.com developed their rankings.