Towns Near Aberdeen Could Grow With Hub City

IPSWICH, SD - Aberdeen is looking for workers to fill the more than 1,000 job openings it’s seeing this year.

That boom in business means surrounding communities could also see some growth. With so many jobs available in Aberdeen, local leaders and employers are working together to attract the people needed to fill those positions.

Sitting just 25 miles down the road from Aberdeen, the small town of Ipswich relies on the Hub City and its employers.

"Usually what's good for Aberdeen is good for Ipswich," Amanda Anglin said.

Anglin is the community and Economic Development Director for Ipswich. She's hoping some of Aberdeen's growth will spill 25 miles west into her community.

She's talked with leaders in Aberdeen about their needs and what Ipswich can do to help fill those.

"We work with promoting our community," Anglin said "We are looking at what we have available within our community to provide housing."

And in Aberdeen, that's what community leaders are asking surrounding towns to do.

"Aberdeen has a labor shed that extends 50 miles in any direction from here and that's current so we expect that to be maintained into our future growth," Julie Johnson said.

Johnson is executive director of Absolutely! Aberdeen and has been talking with several groups in numerous surrounding communities, asking them to recruit families who've left the area.

She's hoping for success in all directions from Aberdeen. In Ipswich, Anglin is hoping that success spreads west.

"If we can grow Ipswich, it'll be good for our community, good for our school system and just all around good for Ipswich," Anglin said.

And what's good for Ipswich can also be good for Aberdeen.

Absolutely! Aberdeen is looking into different transportation options to help get people to and from work, whether that's in Aberdeen or beyond.