Once you realize your small community will experience development pressure from a suddenly not-so-distant major city, how do you respond?

Do you fight the growth, hoping to pass it on to the next town? Or are you proactive, preparing for new development and harnessing it to make a positive change for residents both new and old?

During the 2000s, Newton County reigned as the eighth fastest growing county in the United States. Its population doubled, surpassing even its more urban neighbors. When new schools opened each year, they opened with classroom trailers to handle the swelling student population. An increasingly long rush hour forced traffic to a standstill on miles of two-lane country roads.

A handful of residents wanted to be proactive, but they didn’t quite know how. So they began asking questions, talking to people, and searching for communities that grew intentionally.