OKLAHOMA CITY – For many Oklahomans, finding a good home in a rural area is, at best, a difficult task.
While the rural countryside may be welcoming, the community lacks quality schools and good roads. The access to commercial and health resources is limited.
But for others, the lucky ones, the rural community comes with solid schools and is close enough to an urban area that health care and other needs are easily met.
In Comanche County, and in particular the community of Elgin, residents can consider themselves lucky.
“Elgin is growing, and it will continue to grow,” said Steve Taylor, a senior marketing consultant for CenterPoint Energy. “It’s a solid community and it’s in the perfect position for long-term growth.”
Taylor, whose company works with homebuilders to construct homes that use natural gas, said communities such as Elgin are expected to continue their growth in the next decade.
Census data underscores Taylor’s analysis. The population of Oklahoma, it seems, is steadily increasing. The eight counties that make up the region have about 6% of the state’s population – about 213,000 people. And Comanche County, with more a population of about 124,000, is the largest county in the area.
And Taylor believes more people will be drawn to rural areas where housing is often several times less expensive than in other parts of the country.
“You’ve got the military installations and a strong economy,” he said. “As long as both remain strong, you are going to see more people come to the area.”
Though many will make their homes in Lawton, Taylor said communities such as Elgin will continue to see their population increase because they are close to the urban areas but don’t have many of the problems that urban areas are forced to deal with.
As an example, he pointed to new home construction in both Elgin and Lawton. He said Elgin has about five time sthe number of new homes being built as Lawton. Taylor said Lawton’s stricter building codes, and residents concern over school quality and crime have pushed more people to Elgin
“We recently completed a housing project with one developer – Jamie McDonald Properties – that has more than 60 new houses in the Elgin area,” he said. “And already more than a third of those houses are sold.”
Elgin’s simplified use of the state building code makes construction easier and less expensive, he said. And the number of new homes continues to rise.
For state Representative Toni Hasenbeck, that increase didn’t just happen.
Elgin’s schools, she said, remain a big draw to residents who want to live in a rural setting. “Our schools have grown by 10% to 13% each year,” she said. “From the time I began teaching until today, the school has doubled in size.”
But that growth, Hasenbeck said, comes with issues.
She said rural communities need a long-rang plan which addresses infrastructure, economic expansion, workforce development and education.
As an example, she pointed to manufacturing.
“Everyone worries when some big industry doesn’t locate in their town,” she said. “But they lose sight of the smaller companies that are already here.”
Hasenbeck said she would like to see more programs that assist smaller manufacturers expand. That, plus the state’s current incentives that assist with taxes and help keep college graduates in Oklahoma could go a long way toward keeping Oklahoma’s rural areas stronger.
Taylor, the energy executive, said he expected communities such as Elgin to continue to grow as their leaders better adapt to economic conditions and governmental policies that affect their populations.
“They are working to better protect themselves,” he said. For example, he said when the area’s military facilities expand, more housing is needed for members of the military and their families. During downturns, however, the opposite happens.
“When you look at boom and bust cycle of the oil field or expansion by the military, then its sorta like a rollercoaster,” he said. “You have to prepare for the downturn. But in communities like Elgin, I think they are positioned for growth. Housing remains affordable and the infrastructure is there. I believe they will be in good shape.”
“We recently completed a housing project with one developer – Jamie McDonald Properties – that has more than 60 new houses in the Elgin area,” said Steve Taylor, with CenterPoint Energy. “And already more than a third of those houses are sold.”