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Abstract
The Great Plains—that huge tier of counties extending from Texas to Montana and North Dakota—continues its decades-long decline in population. Changes in agriculture together with a lack of economic alternatives and many of the amenities that drive rural population growth today are responsible. As a result, community services become more expensive to provide, the region’s population ages, and future prosperity becomes even more difficult to achieve. Turning the situation around and making the Plains sustainable will require addressing economic, environmental, and social concerns.