Small Towns

In response to Frank Clifford’s article on city planners seeing small town America as a model for Los Angeles development (Part A, Dec. 25):

Although I am in general opposed to the idea of creating more density where we live and work, I guess if the only thing desperate planners and developers can do is create “theme parks” which mimic the qualities of small-town life, more power to them.

But I’m betting that the continued exodus of Angelenos to distant locations in what I call the 75-125- mile corridor (and beyond) will continue unabated. Incidentally, the Inland Empire is growing faster right now than any place in the United States.

Frankly, though, more and more people are getting fed up with the “chase” to find a few last livable towns on the urban periphery, and are making the leap to places far from the ravages of growth and development. In many cases--even factoring in economic and job-related factors--people are finding a better life in what Hugh Bayless calls the “mid-sized city” in rural counties.

WILLIAM L. SEAVEY

Director, Relocation Research

Sierra Madre