This Wall Street Journal ($) article reports on the growth of a certain type of community that is known as a “micropolis” — growing population centers of at least one town of 10,000 to 50,000 people removed by as much as 100 miles from the nearest large city that are drawing refugees both from rural America and suburbia. These communities offer some of the cultural attractions and conveniences of cities without the liabilities and headaches of urban sprawl. Not only has telecommuting and internet mail-ordering made it easier for folks in such communities to remain connected to trade and commerce from outlying areas, employers find it easier to open a factory or an office park because of lower real estate and labor costs.