Can We Grow?

DAVENPORT—Those who live in Lincoln County typically tout their personal advantages of living here: Small-town life, getting away from the city, friendly communities and affordable cost-of-living rates. But can the county support growth as more people seek those values, and if so, where?

The answer, many stakeholders feel, is yes…if the county can support the infrastructure. “We have to look at the age of the infrastructure to see if it could handle more development,” retired Lincoln County commissioner Mark Stedman said last month.

Lincoln County is already growing. Census data doesn’t seem t...