Small Towns Are Growing Up

After decades of being overshadowed by Richardson to the east and the monster city of Dallas to the south, Carrollton Texas is finally gaining prominence.

Carrollton is forging a national reputation because of its embrace of the arts. European style street design, urban housing that sports vinyl decking is giving this Dallas suburb new life. Like many smaller communities in the region, Carrollton is not focusing on its size, but rather its outward appearance.

It's a trend that is emerging in an increasing amount of smaller towns from Colorado to Alabama that is continuing to erase the lines between suburban and urban. Small suburban communities that have no downtowns, and are dominated by sprawling housing divisions with endless white picket fences are transforming themselves into cities where people can work, live and play.

These small but growing towns are applying some of the most advanced planning to create true downtown areas. Landscapers are in short demand. Brad Miller, who specializes in shade structures Dallas, says there has been a spike in demand for products like vinyl decking and gazebos.

"Many Carrollton businesses are trying to look more urban. They are looking to Dallas for ideas."

Small towns like Carrollton are changing zoning to build city-style condos and apartments above stores. They are changing from big parking lots and strip malls to underground parking and behind stores. Most of the suburbs going through this transformation are affluent. Carrollton's medium household income is $64,094, but the pursuit of young professionals and creative talent has pushed Carrollton to develop more multifamily housing.

"You now have residents who live in parts of metropolitan areas, and they expect what used to be thought of as just downtown shopping, high-end restaurants and a performing arts center," says Robert Lang, urban affairs professor at the University of Nevada-Las Vegas. "The difference from the '70s and '80s is that suburban downtowns you see now would've only been in central cities a generation ago."

Similar towns in Texas are following Carrollton's lead. Southlake, Texas, outside Fort Worth and Dallas, was a farming town that had only two-lane road access until the '80s. That's when sewer lines were put in and development boomed. The city began building a downtown in the late 1990s - called Town Square - around a town hall that houses Tarrant County offices. There are stores and restaurants, and the second residential phase of The Brownstones, pricey (from the $600,000s) three-story brick homes that evoke old-world urbanism, is in the works.

Jim Stevens is a proud member of Future Outdoors - a leading vinyl fencing company in Dallas, Texas. They specialize in vinyl decking, vinyl shade structures, vinyl arbors, vinyl gazebos, vinyl railing, ornamental iron, aluminum patio covers, sunrooms, cabanas and much more.