‘Micropolitan’ Areas Offer Retail Growth Potential

With a little more than 15,000 residents according to 2013 Census data, Batavia resembles many other small towns in the western part of New York. It features a vibrant downtown shopping district with quaint stores and cafés, several small parks and a bustling public library. Batavia also has its own Class A baseball team: the Batavia Muckdogs, whose fans fill Dwyer Stadium even on muggy summer nights. Batavia serves as the heart of a U.S. Census Bureau designation that covers Genesee County and is known as a “Micropolitan Statistical Area.” The Batavia MSA was recognized as a top micropolitan area by Site Selection magazine earlier this month, tying for fourth place in the nation for having 12 major business projects in the pipeline last year. The term micropolitan — an area that has an urban core of between 10,000 and 50,000 people — was created by the Census Bureau about a decade ago, but not until the past two years have economic developers pushed these areas as a viable choice for relocating businesses that provide higher-paying positions, which help revive the communities. Some of the new businesses and expansions in Genesee County include companies such as First Wave Technologies, which provides financing

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