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COUNTY
3RD IN TOP 10 BEST PLACES
Magazine Ranks County
Third in Top 10 Best Places to Live
Magazine Picks Livingston County as America's 3rd Best Rural
Community
Monday, February 4, 2008, C-T
 Everyone
has their own reasons for hanging their hat in Livingston County. Some
families have lived here for generations and others have recently moved to the
area for one reason or another. Those unfamiliar with Livingston County,
however, may not be aware of its amenities, but The Progressive Farmer
magazine is getting the word out and has, in fact, listed Livingston County as
one of the best places to live in rural America in its February 2008 edition.
In its fourth annual list of rural counties, Livingston County is listed third
among the top 10 best places to live in rural America and is ranked No. 2 in
the Midwest region.
According to the magazine's
website, each year The Progressive Farmer partners with OnBoard LLC, a
real estate research firm, to put together a preliminary list of rural
counties that meet certain criteria. In searching for the best place to live
in rural America, magazine editors examined household income, household
spending, home and land prices, crime rates, air quality, education, access to
health care and more. Then, for several months out of the year a team of
editors traveled to those top counties, taking pictures, interviewing
residents and getting the lay of the land. According to Jena Constant, with
the Chillicothe Development Corporation, senior editor Jim Patrico met with
community leaders in September and then, equipped with a camera, Patrico took
a tour of the county, getting a scenic overview of the area. His story and
pictures can now be viewed online and in the magazine this month.
Specifically, the magazine
touts Chillicothe's city-owned short line railroad that serves the city's
business park, it's city-owned electric utility, and its municipal airport
with a new runway long enough to accommodate private jets. The magazine also
lists a number of large projects completed recently through private donations
including the Gary Dickinson Performing Arts Center, the Jenkins Expo Center
at the new 4-H and FFA Fairgrounds, and the Grand River Area Family YMCA. Ron
Beetsma, who with his brother, Buddy, farm around 6,500 acres in Livingston
County is also featured in the article as saying that the county is a good
place to farm with "usually good" weather patterns and is centrally
located to Kansas City markets. The article also notes that the county has no
property taxes, but instead, generates its revenue by a half-cent sales tax
back in the 1980s.
Also listed in the magazine
and online is information on recent land sales in Livingston County including
the following sales:
- 300 acres with CRP,
timber, hunting; $600,000 or $2,000 per acre
- 538 acres with timber,
cattle ranch; $885,000 or $1,651 per acre
- 45 acres, excellent
hunting; $78,500 or $1,744 per acre.
The article also lists
various statistics on the county's economics, education, crime, health care,
climate, and culture. A slideshow on the website shows several sites in the
community including a photo of the Beetsma family, the Day Break Cafe in Dawn,
students out playing at recess at Southwest R-1 School, local artist Kelly
Poling, seated in front of one of his murals in downtown, the Sliced Bread
marker at the original site where sliced bread was originally sold and a sign
in the window of Momma B's Cafe and Mini Mart in Ludlow.
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