America's vanishing small towns

Sparkman is not the only small town facing a shrinking population.

“The United States, as a whole, is growing at a very rapid pace so the population growth is not the problem," says Mark Mather, a demographer at the Population Reference Bureau. "The problem is that population growth in the U.S. is extremely uneven. It’s estimated that about 16 percent of the United States population lives in counties that are classified as non-metropolitan or rural counties. The number has dropped every decade for the past 100 years.”

Those who live in small towns and rural areas point to the benefits. For example, it’s less stressful and cheaper than living in metropolitan areas. However, one of the primary reasons people move away is the lack of job opportunities.

“When conditions get that bad," Mather says, "you end up in this vicious circle where new employers don’t want to move in because there is not many people living there and no one wants to move there because there aren't any jobs.”

The key to survival for these communities is job creation. Sparkman’s Harmon says that’s the goal of their scholarship program - to ensure their town survives and thrives.