EDITORIAL: Isabella County rightfully sees growth in Census despite recession
As Detroit continues its downward population spiral, 2010 U.S. Census results show Isabella County and its incorporated municipalities are still doing the right things to grow.
The city further showed its intent to develop jobs and attract people to the region by unanimously voting Thursday to purchase the Mount Pleasant Center property. The city only witnessed a 70-person increase from 2000, but the Mount Pleasant Center alone offers a great opportunity for economic development that will likely bring up population totals even more over the next 10 years.
Most notably, Isabella County as a whole, and the ever-expanding Union Township, saw significant increases in population.
The population spikes are concurrent with increasing enrollment at Central Michigan University. Students apparently made it a point to register in the area last year and the results show. The township relied heavily on students for its decennial head count.
CMU and Soaring Eagle Casino have kept employment strong and the city is intent on maximizing the potential of the land it encompasses. This includes the recently purchased Mount Pleasant Center property and land bought through the Project 2000 initiative in the 1990s. The intent was to buy and develop that land in both a residential and commercial way. For the most part, the city succeeded.
What has happened in Detroit is devastating and the complete opposite of Isabella County. Southeast Michigan is still the driving point for Michigan's economy and ultimately, the Census results there have a much larger impact than mid-Michigan.
Unfortunately, the city of Detroit has seen more and more land become vacant and building after building continues to deteriorate. Plans to turn that empty land into a vast network of urban farms are in the early stages. The city may have the right idea with this, but it has yet to be proven on a large scale.
Isabella County has become a tremendous exception to the downtrodden economy that has loomed over the state for the past decade. It is an encouraging sign that may not be noticed by the rest of the state because it is a mostly rural county. However, other cities can learn from this area.
While Mount Pleasant may rest for the most part on the twin pillars of gambling and education, it has worked to diversify itself over the years and is rapidly developing into a well-rounded city of its own right.
Though we hope the best for the Motor City, the future of Michigan may lie closer to its heart.
