Census Day 2020 might not be until April 1, but North Carolina's leaders are years into preparation for the most complete of counts and are reminding local government officials of the stakes. Census data are linked to funding allocations, infrastructure readiness, business location decisions and much more. "Census data is used to bring over $675 billion of your tax dollars back to your community," says census.nc.gov, a resource website from state government. Unfortunately, this nationwide headcount -- done every 10 years by constitutional mandate -- is rife with challenges. For instance, according to the website, young children are likely to be undercounted, with an estimate that 73,000 children in North Carolina are at risk of not being counted this time around. That's why Census officials are hoping for the help of community leaders. "While the U.S. Census Bureau will promote the 2020 Census, no one knows our community better than us," the site notes. "Local Census advocates can help make sure that everyone is counted and that our tax dollars return to serve our residents." Full information is available at census.nc.gov.
Like many former mill towns in rural North Carolina, stagnant development seemed to plague the town of Elkin. In 2017, there were 17 empty storefronts downtown, the population continued to stay around 4,000 residents, and the future seemed bleak. Big cities seemed more desirable for business and opportunity and without a significant change, Elkin was sure to suffer. But change soon came in the form of “Explore Elkin,” an initiative designed to boost community engagement and, ultimately, revive Elkin’s Downtown.
Head over to Here We Grow, the economic development storytelling website from the League in partnership with
WRAL TechWire, for
what happened next. Hint: a turnaround that had one Elkinite saying, "Wow, we live in this great place!" These stories are rippling through North Carolina from cities and towns exercising creative resourcefulness to provide residents and businesses a motivating quality of life and work.