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Twenty-three years ago, my wife and I drove from Washington, DC to LaGrange, Georgia, and have been so happy we found a new place to call our home. It’s where we’ve raised two kids. My sister-in-law and her husband, best friends from graduate school, joined us. But like many places in America, it’s facing an uncertain future, not from a shrinking economy, but one that could explode into unprecedented growth. And we’re not the only ones facing this scenario.

As we pulled into town, my wife and I could see the writing on the wall. Textile mills were closing and jobs were being exported further south, or to other states. We worried that we would become one of those places one drives by quickly, with boarded-up storefronts and houses.

Kia came in and helped the economy. Some suppliers followed them in. Others arriving were great new businesses, like Wild Leap Brewery and Great Wolf Lodge. Health care, with Wellstar and Emory, took off, which is important for a mid-sized town in a rural area to survive.

But a lot of credit for the rebound should go out to the welcoming people of LaGrange. Whether they’re long-term residents, transplants like us, or new arrivals, there’s a spirit that always seems to plan street festivals downtown, fundraising galas; with churches that welcome new members instead of shutting their doors, and a college with students ready to serve. Most residents seem to know when to put ideology aside and have a good time, even with others with different views.

As I worked at a 38 Special music concert at Sweetland Amphitheater, parents from several rival schools that played in a LaGrange College baseball tournament danced on the hillside. They told me about the restaurants, the Beacon brewery, and the historic sites they visited on their road trip around our county. “Your town is so fun!” they told me. “I wish we lived here!”

It seems we’re not the only ones to conclude that.  The town has exploded in size since we arrived. And others have taken notice.

At the college, I saw a briefing by locals-in-the-know, business-wise, who excitedly told me about all of the investment, inland ports, construction, manufacturing, and plans for the region for the future, making us a super-hub for just about everything.

I became nervous for the first time since we moved here, when exporting jobs and closing down fabric factories made all the headlines. Now we could get priced out of this special community.

I saw something like that in Centreville, Virginia, where we used to live. It’s right near both Battles of Manassas. When word got out that the D.C. Metro would build a line to us, property values skyrocketed, as did the price of just about everything. We weren’t the only ones to move; some neighbors had to because they couldn’t afford to stay. That wonderful community we had joined among the townhomes was threatened by exploding growth, not by a lack of it.

Whether you’re an elected official, influential member of the community, business executive, editor, church pastor, schoolteacher or anyone who will listen, please get involved in community events where we can plan for all of this growth, not to stop any sort of progress, but work to find a way that we don’t become one of the nicest places in Georgia where nobody can afford to stay.