http://www.desmoinesregister.com/story/money/business/2016/05/31/why-iowa-town-thriving-when-so-many-arent/83973154/ Why this Iowa town is thriving when so many aren't Kevin Hardy <http://www.desmoinesregister.com/staff/41359/kevin-hardy/> Kevin Hardy, kmha...@registermedia.com 10:34 a.m. CDT June 1, 2016 Fairfield out-performed all of the state's 16 micropolitan areas in terms of population growth between 2010 and 2015 Zach Boyden-Holmes/The Register
Buy Photo (Photo: Zach Boyden-Holmes/The Register) FAIRFIELD, Ia. — Take a walk around this town's bustling square and you'll see an array of businesses that would rival some shopping malls. On one corner sits a coffee shop that roasts its own beans in house. Down the block is a store specializing in sustainable children's clothing and toys. Along another strip, there's a women's boutique, a Verizon store and a nutrition company. The town's retail center also is home to a salon, a consignment store, a furniture store and an art gallery. Just off the square is a pet spa, a natural remedy store and a photography studio. And for those looking for a bite to eat: a Thai restaurant, an Indian cafe, an Italian spot and a joint peddling pizza and steak. In fact, local officials count only one vacancy in the storefronts that line shady Central Park. It's just one more sign of success in this town of 9,500 in a state where most small cities and rural areas are seeing residents leave. Since 1969, census data show Iowa's metropolitan areas have gained nearly a half million people, while smaller cities and rural places have lost more than 171,000 residents. But Fairfield has prospered, particularly in recent years. Between 2010 and 2015, the city saw a 4 percent population gain — a rate that rivaled the growth of some of Iowa's much larger metro areas. This southeast Iowa city is known as a magnet for practitioners of Transcendental Meditation at Maharishi University of Management, who flocked here since the 1970s. Fairfield was able to capitalize on that unique niche, building a surprisingly metropolitan quality of life. While Fairfield is home to 1,000 fewer jobs than it had 15 years ago, state figures show employers have rebounded in the last five years, adding nearly 700 jobs between 2010 and 2015. During that time, Fairfield went from 714 employers to 751, according to Iowa Workforce Development. "We have a great quality-of-life culture and an entrepreneurial culture," said Mayor Ed Malloy. "And we see it is allowing more young people to put down roots in this community." Around town, there is no shortage of small-city staples like Casey's General Store and Pizza Ranch, though Fairfield is better known for its funky coffee houses, shops and restaurants. Locals claim the city is home to more restaurants per capita than San Francisco. Yet the place that Oprah Winfrey dubbed "America's most unusual town" is more than just quirky. It's one of the few nonmetropolitan areas in Iowa posting strong population growth, according to U.S. Census figures. And around town, evidence abounds that Fairfield has done what so many small cities in the Midwest struggle to achieve: attract and retain people.
