Why Is Everyone Moving to Your Small Town?
You’ve probably noticed it yourself. More folks are showing up in small towns like yours, and they aren’t just passing through. Traffic is picking up. You might find yourself waiting at a stop light far longer than you used to, struggling to make left turns onto main roads, and somehow rush hour traffic has become a thing in a town that never had it before.
And it’s not just the roads. Farmland that had been sitting idle for decades is starting to disappear under cookie-cutter neighborhoods, solar farms, and even data centers, all built for the new transplants moving in and changing the landscape and character of the community.
You’re not imagining it. Recent U.S. government data show that rural counties and small towns have been growing for several years — a notable reversal of long-running population losses in many rural parts of the country. According to Census estimates analyzed in rural migration research, from 2020 through 2024, net migration added nearly a million people to nonmetro (rural) counties, with the majority of those moves coming from elsewhere in the U.S. and driving overall rural population growth for the fourth straight year. In fact, rural areas gained about 134,000 residents between 2023 and 2024 alone as more people chose affordability, space, and flexibility over dense urban living.
The demand for rural real estate is on the rise, and it’s starting to affect who owns the land, how it’s used, and even the feel of small-town life.
What’s Driving It
A few big reasons are behind the influx, and they all boil down to one thing: small towns are still an attractive, affordable place to live.
Rural cost of living is still far cheaper than the city. You might think prices are creeping up, and they are, but even now, living out here is a whole lot cheaper than in urban areas. Housing, taxes, and everyday expenses in the city can be two or three times what you pay in a small town.
Work-from-home opportunities. Folks can keep their jobs without being tied to a big office downtown. That means more freedom to live somewhere slower, quieter, and more affordable.
Slower lifestyles. Families and retirees alike are drawn to open space, less traffic, and fresh air they can actually breathe.
City commutes aren’t that much shorter. Many urban workers already spend hours getting from one part of the city to another for work. Moving to a small town doesn’t add much travel time, and with work-from-home options, they don’t have to go into the office nearly as often.
All of this adds up to high demand for rural properties—and that can have real consequences for property owners, especially when idle farmland suddenly becomes a target for development.
How Developers Take Advantage of Probate Gaps
Here’s the reality. Families who leave property tied up in probate or without a clear plan are easy targets for developers. I had a potential client whose family farm had never been probated for three generations. That meant over 130 heirs had some claim to the property.
Developers saw an opportunity. They approached one of those heirs, convinced them to petition the court to be the executor, and just like that, the farm changed hands. The family lost control of land that had been in their name for generations. By the time he came to me, it was far too late—no attorney could have helped him at that point.
This story is unfortunately not unique. Probate investing has become its own niche within the real estate industry because probate filings are public, making it easy for investors to identify farms or rural land with multiple heirs and no clear decision-maker and step in with quick offers before families have time to regroup.
Why Some Blame Local Government
Some folks blame their local county government for “allowing this to happen.” The truth is, this is America. People who know the rules can play the game, and property can move freely if families leave it unprotected. No regulation is really going to be fully effective. Rules can slow things down, but they rarely stop developers who see an opportunity. More often than not, those regulations simply end up making very odd-looking subdivisions that conform to the ordinances but make no logical sense whatsoever.
For example, imagine a county proposes a ban on developing lots that are half an acre in size or smaller. On the surface, it seems like it would preserve open space—but in reality, developers just pivot. They build neighborhoods with one-acre lots instead, which end up costing twice as much. If the county keeps increasing the minimum acreage requirement, eventually your own residents - the lifelong natives - may never be able to afford to build there themselves. As an old professor of mine used to say, “If you want people to stop moving to where you live, the only real solution is to make where you live a place that nobody wants to live.” That’s obviously an objectively bad thing to do to your own hometown.
How to Keep Your Farm in the Family
The way to stop this from happening is simple: plan ahead. Farms and rural properties that are structured properly are much harder for outsiders to buy without family consent. One of the best ways to do that is with a revocable trust:
It keeps the property out of probate, which blocks outsiders from using court petitions to take control.
It names trustees who manage the property while parents are alive. Most often, these trustees are the parents themselves who can manage the property just like they have been doing since they bought the property. Typically, children are the contingent trustees who can take over the trust after the parents have passed away (or are suffering severely from a debilitating condition such as dementia - but that’s a topic for another article).
Children or other beneficiaries are clearly listed, so everyone knows who inherits what and how it transfers.
With the right setup, your property stays in the family, your heirs are protected, and the land keeps producing or holding value for generations to come.
This Applies to Any Rural Property
While much of what we’ve discussed focuses on family farms, the truth is that any large tract of land—or even a small home with acreage in a rural area—is at risk if it isn’t properly protected. Developers and investors are looking at all kinds of rural property, and gaps in ownership, outdated wills, or properties sitting in probate can make even a modest piece of land an easy target.
If you want to see how a proper structure can protect your property and family, check out my previous post on “The Ideal Farm Succession Plan in 2026”, which walks through trusts, LLCs, and simple strategies that keep property in the family while minimizing risk.
Whether you’re managing farmland, timberland, or just your home and surrounding acreage, the same principles apply: plan ahead, keep ownership clear, and avoid letting property sit unprotected. Doing so helps you maintain control, prevent conflicts, and keep your property out of the hands of opportunistic buyers.
Let’s Make Your Succession Plan Simple
For more tips, examples, and practical advice, check out my social media channels. I regularly share short videos that show how to protect your farm and your property. I hope these videos help you get to know me and my approach a little better. If they do, I hope you’ll trust me enough to send a message and get an evaluation of your succession planning options.