- Video shows the Jackson Chamber's annual meeting.
- According to the US Census Bureau, the population of Jackson is about 31,000 people, a decline of about 15% from the year 2000. The city has seen a decline of 40% since 1940.
- The Chamber plans to form a 20-year plan, with the help of community partners, and is focusing on measuring several key performance indicators for growth.
- WATCH to see a comparison of how Jackson was, over 100 years ago.
Gilbert Chocolates is one of Jackson's oldest businesses and has been using the same recipes for 125 years. Back then, Jackson had more people. Sally Krichbaum, Owner of Gilbert Chocolates, says, "The city, downtown, is built for 80,000. There's nice, big buildings downtown. It makes the city look larger than it really is." With the days of horse and buggies and streetcars in the past, local leaders are looking at Jackson's future.
At the Jackson Chamber's Annual Meeting, President & CEO Ryan Tarrant, explained, "What you see in Jackson is, you've got a city that's lost 40% of its population over the last 60 years. You've got a county that, over the last couple of decades, that's stagnated and now it's starting to decline, a little bit. - To me, that's opportunity." Now, the Chamber plans to form a 20-year plan for Jackson.
They plan to do this by measuring key performance indicators for growth:
- Workforce
- Crime
- Housing
- Education (K-12)
- Quality of life
Stu Kail, with the Jackson Chamber, says, "Really, what we've been trying to do is look at other communities that are our size and have the same trend that has gone through a similar process."
According to the US Census Bureau, the population of Jackson is about 31,000 people. That's a decline of about 15% from the year 2000. Looking back even further, the city has seen a 40% decline in population since 1940. "We got a comparable quality of life score to a lot of growing communities. What I would ask is, 'Why can't we be great?'"
The Chamber believes Jackson is primed for growth, thanks to highlights including:
- Abundant lakes, trails, and outdoor amenities
- Proximity to an international airport
- Centrally located between two research institutions
- 100 Homes and other developments driving median home value
- Multiple national and international corporate headquarters
- Significant investments on tap for quality-of-life infrastructure
- Workforce Development Collaborative being built
- Concentration on programs and job readiness at K-12 schools
- Gun violence down 54% in four years
- 2-year and 4-year colleges in Jackson County
As for Krichbaum at Gilbert Chocolates, she's hopeful for Jackson's future. "It seems like it should be a city that's on the cusp of blooming. It's on two major highways between Chicago, and it just seems like it should really take off," she says.
WATCH, a similar story: The Rebirth of Downtown Jackson
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