Knox County in the Future

No one is completely certain what the future will bring for Knox County. With the agricultural community growing more and more competitive in terms of both technological sophistication and management strategies, it is becoming difficult for the small family farms to prosper in the area.

The rapid expansion of metropolitan Columbus is currently the most threatening factor to those who want to maintain the rural character of Knox County. This process will undoubtedly continue to alter local land use, increase the population, and bring in new residents to Knox County who have little understanding of farm life.

Civic leaders and several local organizations are discussing how to best manage the future of the area. Richard Mavis, mayor of Mount Vernon, describes the impact of these changes: "I think that as we look at the impact of Columbus, not only is it doing funny things with the values of property, it's breaking up traditional farms."

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