With every month that passes, the population of our small town grows. New houses are popping up all over. Dozens of new homes on the south side, and more than 60 near the new ISD developments. With nearly a tenth of our population soon to be newcomers, we face a unique challenge and opportunity.
To preserve the small-town spirit that makes our community special, it’s more important than ever that we come together now. By showing up and strengthening our bonds, we make it easier for new neighbors to find their place and feel at home.
This way, as new ideas and fresh perspectives arrive, we can absorb them while still preserving the core values and identity that define our town. Ultimately, coming closer now helps us hold onto the sense of home we’ve always known - even as changes come our way.
My family moved here from DFW six years ago. We left the Metroplex to raise our kids in a safe, conservative town where traditional values still mean something.
After living 40 years in the big city, one might think we’d feel like outsiders here in Whitesboro.
The opposite is true.
We felt like outsiders there.
We moved here to live the kind of life we grew up hearing about but rarely saw anymore - slower, steadier, rooted in faith, family and common sense. Whitesboro didn’t just welcome us - it allowed us to live the life we’d always wanted.
There are many more just like us. Those who want to leave the city and all its trappings behind and embrace the lifestyle you have cultivated here in this small town - to embrace your ways, not attempt to change them because, in truth, your values have always been theirs, too. They’ve just been searching for a place and a people that still live that way.
Now, I am not so naive as to believe that everyone moving here shares the same mindset, nor do I fail to realize that with every bit of growth, we inch further away from being the small town I just described.
However, this growth, as much as we may resist it, is unfortunately a reality we can’t afford to ignore. It is happening. It is inevitable.
But the changes it brings do not have to be devastating, nor even wholly negative, to our town’s future. Much of the outcome depends on how we prepare.
Through careful planning—whether it’s infrastructure, zoning, economic development, or a dozen other areas—we have the ability to lessen the impact, guide the growth and make sure any changes serve the people and businesses who are already here.
But that only speaks to the bones of the city. We must also tend to its soul - and the soul of any town is its people. Now is the time to strengthen our neighborly ties, to revive our clubs and community groups, and to spend more time face-to-face.
We need to show up - at events, at meetings, in service. We need to volunteer, greet one another, pay attention and take part. If we build those bonds now, we’ll be ready to face change as one.
The road ahead may bring changes we didn’t ask for, but it also gives us the chance to shape what comes next. Let’s not sit back and hope things stay the same. Let’s step forward and ensure they do.
Go to the meeting. Shake a hand. Join the group. Be the neighbor you hope to have. If we want Whitesboro to remain the town we love, it will take all of us.
We must come together now - so we will stay together later.