The town at the center of U.S. population, with 613 souls, increasingly faces same challenges as many small towns

When the results of the latest census were analyzed, Hartville, Mo., gained a plaque but still faced a declining population, reports Joe Barrett for The Wall Street Journal. The census showed that the town of about 600 was the one closest to the U.S. population center — the point at which "an imaginary, flat, weightless and rigid map of the United States would balance perfectly if all residents were of identical weight," the Census Bureau says. 

Hartville, Mo. (Wikipedia)

The plaque was a needed plus. Hartville Mayor Rob Tucker told Barrett that the town has lost about 100 people over the past 15 years. The town was "bypassed by railroads and later highways, leaving its economy stymied. A Lee jeans factory, one of the last major employers, pulled up stakes decades ago," Barrett reports. Nearly a third of residents live below the poverty line. 

Since the nation's first census, the U.S. population center has trended west and south over time. The town clerk of Plato, Mo., the previous population center, told Barrett that the distinction brings in occasional visitors but not much money. 

Still residents take pride in Hartville, opening new business ventures that aim to enliven the town square. A local nonprofit, the Community Betterment Foundation, is working to transition a shuttered Subway restaurant into a local cafe, while a local couple hopes to open an alcohol-free gathering place for young people just a few blocks away, Barrett reports.