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COMMUNITY TYPE

Boom Towns

Characteristics

Fast-growing, changing and diversifying
Once-thriving economies that are now falling on hard times
Home to relatively affluent communities
Experiencing growth of minority populations

See the communties »

Community Type Demographics

Ethnicity

Presidential Election Results

2004

41%
Kerry

58%
Bush

2008

47%
Obama

52%
McCain

Representative Communities

Community Type Comparison

Population Growth

1996-2006

20%
Boom Towns

11%
All Counties

Around the Nation

How the recession ‘looks’ in one Boom Town

This economic downturn looks different depending on where you are.

We’ll focus on the different ways places are hurting Wednesday in our Hardship Index. Here, we’re talking about how the recession actually “looks.”

In Eagle, Colo., a “Boom Town” that saw its population double in the last decade, the streets scenes look surprisingly normal.

There are some small signs that times have gotten harder. The Starbucks in the new downtown, where all the homes had gone up, recently closed. Buildings that were empty in July remain empty. But everything is well-maintained.

Winding through the postcard-ready landscape, there is ...

First Microbreweries, Now Micro-Canneries Flourish in Washington

You’ve heard of microbreweries. How about "micro-canneries?" They specialize in locally-caught, hand-packed albacore and salmon. A growing number of commercial fishing families in the northwest are choosing to can their catch themselves.

Obama engages on healthcare with high approval, policy doubts

Less than eight months into Barack Obama’s presidency, it is far too soon to contemplate his chances at reelection. But at this early date, there seems to be one noticeable trait: dissonance between voters’ feelings about the president and feelings about his policies – or at least his party.

We ...

The recession hits a place many thought it wouldn't

The economic recession may be a national phenomenon, measured by data like gross domestic product and unemployment rates, but as Patchwork Nation notes, the experience at the local level is very different. A case in point is Eagle, Colo.

For the last 18 months, we’ve been visiting with and ...

Road trip: Tiny Texas town exerts a big pull on old-timers, newcomers alike

Vega, Texas – Every small town needs someone like Imogene Galbraith.

Civic booster and amateur historian, Ms. Galbraith knows just about everyone and has done just about everything in this town of 936 residents on the Texas Panhandle.

She has the run of the place, with keys to the library, the ...