6 Top Effects of Population Growth In Rural Areas

The effect of population growth in rural areas can have drastic effects on the dynamics of the rural area. New homes bring more people and services to the rural community, affecting employment, housing prices, public transportation, and infrastructure needs.

With an influx of new residents comes increased demand for housing and services such as medical facilities, schools, businesses, and other service providers. An increase in population can also lead to increased traffic congestion on rural roads.

Ultimately, an increase in population density has a positive effect on economic development but this must be balanced against potential negative consequences such as straining existing resources.

Effects of Population Growth In Rural Areas At A High Rate of Speed

1. Planning For Growth?

I attended a town meet and greet last night with candidates for selectman. A question came up that made me think. Does the town offer plans for major population growth in the coming years? No one seemed to be able to answer the question.

They knew the causes of population growth in rural areas as it was around the pandemic. People wanted to leave the busy cities and move into little rural towns.

Of course, the discussion led to housing and short-term rentals as is the case of many areas of the country that struggle with these pressing rental issues.

2. Housing Demand & Medical Services

Housing is a big issue in our rural area as it is in many across the country. The cost of homes has skyrocketed and inventory is way down. Even if someone wants to move to the area, they have a difficult time finding housing.

However, there is a new USDA loan program of 0% down programs available starting today IF you qualify. It is only available to those who live in rural communities. Some say lack of housing is one of the top causes of rural decline.

Where we live you have to go an hour away to get to any hospital. Even that hospital has cut back on services.

Rural Area Life

The local walk-in clinic does not have an X-ray machine as the clinic cannot find someone to run the X-ray machine.  That makes it harder for the elderly population which still dominates our area. However, the candidates last night mentioned a few programs they would like to start for the elderly in the community.

3. Effects of Population Growth In Rural Areas Schools

Our school system is one school with grades K-12 in the same building and a total of over 100 students for all grades combined. A graduating class can be less than a dozen students.

However, as rural schools continue to grow, smaller classrooms have become a critical topic of discussion. Research has indicated that smaller classrooms lead to increased student engagement, participation, and a better understanding of concepts.

Smaller classroom sizes in rural schools are critical to improving academic achievement, enhancing student learning, and promoting lifelong success for rural area residents.

However, I’ve learned recently that many of the students in our hometown are now being home-schooled. The parents I spoke with do not like what is happening with public education.

4. Businesses and Employment

Businesses in our rural town have been struggling to find help to run their restaurants or shops. We are in a tourist rural area on a lake. People come in the summer for boating and fishing and in winter for snowmobiling. The ski mountain also reopened last year.

However, there are no places for people to live if they come and work here. Some businesses have gotten creative and bought homes to rent out to their workers are reduced rates.

5. Rural Roads

Increased traffic is an inevitable consequence of population growth and economic development in a rural area. However, in rural areas, the impact can be particularly significant.

For residents in these areas, the additional wear and tear on local roads and highways is more than a matter of inconvenience or delays on their daily commute.

As traffic volume increases, so does the cost of maintaining and repairing the roads, placing an added burden on taxpayers. With every passing year, more tax dollars are required to keep the transportation infrastructure of rural areas in good working order.

Rural roads can get beat up with increased traffic from increased population.

6. Tax Increases: Biggest Effects of Popular Growth in Rural Areas

With the increase in population, you can be sure of receiving a property tax increase. Many Mainers have been complaining about this recently as the tax bills went out. We experienced the previous year with an over 40% increase in taxes.

And, if you don’t own real estate, but rent your fees may go for renting. The increase usually is due to schools and roads with more people using the services.

It makes living in rural Maine much harder as we near the end of 2024. Other areas of the United States with a growing rural population are seeing the same thing with increases in property taxes.

However, urban cities are also experiencing increases in property taxes with an influx of illegal immigrants. They crowd the schools that need language interpreters and in some cities are giving places to live rent-free for a year or two.

In Conclusion: Effects of Population Growth In Rural Areas

To conclude, there are more questions than answers. Townspeople want to keep the rural community small and how it has been for years which drove them here. Others want to increase their businesses and don’t want to drive people away. There has to be a happy medium there somewhere.

How is your small rural town doing with the effects of population growth in rural areas? I’d love to hear from you in the comments below.

FAQs: Effects of Population Growth in Rural Areas