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Show Population trends point to move back to rural Utah towns Local Perceptions of community com-munity life in rural Utah is the subject of an article in this month's Utah Science magazine, maga-zine, and Moab was one of eight small cities surveyed in the research. The study was done by Reed Geersten, Michael Toney and Yun Kim, all sociologists at Utah State University, Logan. They noted that the persistent economic and population declines de-clines that have long plagued most rural communities in Utah have finally been reversed revers-ed in many cases. The researchers state that communities that had little or no population growth over several decades have been experiencing substantial increases in-creases due to changing patterns of migration, explaining, explain-ing, "These changes catalyzed our search for up-to-date information on local opinions about ways in which such communities might be improved im-proved as places to live." Communities chosen for inclusion in the survey were Moab. Panguitch, Delta Richfield. Rich-field. Salina, Roosevelt, Ver- nal and Duchesne. The ultimate ulti-mate goal was :o provide a valid basis for local planning and comparative analyses, on the basis of individual community com-munity responses. More than three-fourths of the respondents indicated thev felt their community was doing either a poor or only a fair job in solving its most pressing problems. After identifying the community com-munity features they believed were most in need of improvement, improve-ment, the respondents were asked what they would be willing to do to promote such improvements. Most were willing to either sign a petition, serve on a committee or give their spare time one evening a week. Over two-thirds said they would not be willing to give a half day's pay, agree to 1 per cent tax increase or serve as chairman of a committee. Over half of those responding respond-ing were not satisfied with the following 6 services and features in their communities: facilities for youth, housing for new families, opportunities for cultural activities, shopping facilities, citizen participation in community decisions, and restaurants and entertainment. entertain-ment. However, more than half the respondents felt the following services and features were strengths in their community: place to raise a family, help from others in time of need, geographical setting, quality of religious life, lack of pollution, appearance of cemeteries, cem-eteries, and access to outdoors and wide-open spaces. The Sociologists concluded that "Although certainly not representative of all rural communities in Utah, our survey results do cover a cross . section of growing and stable communities in the 1,500 to 5,500 population category." They continued, "Strong similarities among the lead us to believe that? ' reasonably indicative I perceptions of indivi H mg in comparable njr7, communities. The 0 s"Its miht 'hereX advantageously USed basis for local planninp 1 |