Leavenworth, Washington, the shining example of a creative city development revitalizing a city economy. The city was a failed logging town, it failed because the Great Northern Railway Company discontinued their stop at Leavenworth. Just like Detroit, their economy was built around one industry. With their economy collapsed, they had to get creative. In 1962, the Project LIFE (Leavenworth Improvement For Everyone) Committee was formed in partnership with the University of Washington formed to solve the economic crisis. Ted Price and Bob Rodgers proposed the idea, citing Solvang, California’s success. The idea was to turn Leavenworth into a Bavaria styled hamlet.
Price and Rodger’s knew they needed to capitalize upon the nearby interstate to make their town successful. Turn passer-throughers into stopping throughers by intriguing people into stopping in town and exploring. A Bavarian theme seemed as intriguing as it comes. So they started with redoing a diner and a hotel, quickly followed by other community buildings and businesses. Once the main focal points of the town were complete, they started seeing a growth in traffic.
Turning Leavenworth into a Bavarian theme attracted tourism and gave others an entrepreneurial chance to capitalize. Bavarian related businesses started popping up due to tourism. Everything from chocolate shops to lederhosen boutiques, Leavenworth is a point of interest which draws in the curious. These days it attracts over 2 million guests a year. This is bolstered by accessory events such as an Oktoberfest and a Christmas light ceremony.
Leavenworth’s creative city development no longer causes people to just stop through, but full on vacations. Leavenworth really is a fantastic example of a city starting a creative development to capitalize off a nearby interstate. Starts by pulling in the curious and over time, if people find it eccentric enough, they will tell others, visit again, or even move. Leavenworth, Washington is now a bustling little town with a population of 2,000 people up from 1,300 people just 40 years ago. Turning the town into a Bavarian style is so simple and effectively creative. If you are looking for an idea of your own, remember, keep it simple and make it interesting to get interstate traffic.
Simple rethinking of an idea to make it unique and capitalizing on roadside traffic was the key to Leavenworth’s success. Local towns in the Minnesota could capitalize up and down 35 or 94 and create a length of varied styled villages, bring economic prosperity to the whole roadside region. Take a look at the success of Cuyuna and their mountain biking focus.
Less extreme examples can be seen of using town. Rothsay, Mn the capital of the prairie chicken draws roadside business for two local gas stations to see an over-sized statue of a bird. A small investment for a great return.
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