Last week I wrote about my former place of residence, a city in Washington state that was experiencing growth without much in the way of additional local jobs. The explanation of that growth was the city’s emphasis on quality on life, from catering to tourists to embracing public art. People moved there and found a means to live or they moved there with the wealth they had already accumulated.

That’s the West Coast, you might say. It’s a different game.

My response is, the same holds true anywhere. Midwestern cities that have experienced growth have had a strong emphasis on quality of life and tourism. In other words, they wanted people to come visit, they welcomed out-of-towners, and some decided to stay for good. That’s how their growth happens.

Sometimes, even if those cities don’t work hard at attracting jobs, the jobs come anyway as a result of pushing quality of life as the No. 1 priority.

Think about it. If you run a company, you will have to live in the city where your company is. You want a nice town with good schools, recreational amenities, decent housing stock and a welcoming attitude to newcomers, things like that. Even if you don’t live there, you want to maintain a stable workforce, so locating in a nice place with these factors will matter.

A great example is Spirit Lake, Iowa. In 1990, it had a population of 3,871. It now is an estimated 4,646. In fact, all the cities in the Iowa Great Lakes have grown: Okoboji, Milford, Arnolds Park. Dickinson County went from 14,909 to 16,775. There are people coming for the lake lifestyle, even if they don’t live on a lake, and there are companies coming, too. Polaris, for example, has a big plant in Spirit Lake and on the same road are other spiffy-looking plants for other companies.

Another example is Lake City here in Minnesota. In 1990, it had 4,391 residents. It has an estimated 5,297 residents today. What is Lake City known for? A tourism hot spot. Out-of-towners are welcome. They advertise all over.

Same for Wabasha. It went from 2,384 to 2,527 over the same timeframe.

Red Wing is a nice place to visit, too. It went from 15,134 to 15,703 — not much, but better than going down. Same for New Ulm, 13,132 to 13,158.

Rochester welcomes people from around the world. Quality of life is the crux of their external relations campaigns. In 1990, it was 70,745. Now it is estimated at 99,121.

Brainerd understands tourism and quality of life as well as any city. It went from 12,353 to 13,724. Walker went from 950 to 1,145. Bemidji went from 11,245 to 13,419. Fillmore County went from 20,777 to 20,850.

You get the same results for tourism places in Wisconsin: Minocqua, Wisconsin Dells, Hayward, New Glarus, Mineral Point, Oshkosh, Fond du Lac, Door County.

Am I getting through? It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to see how cities can find growth without being in or near a metro area.

When you think about it, the reasons are really simple.

Why do people move? They want a better life.

In the 20th century, people would move just for jobs. That’s why the Rust Belt grew and it’s the story of the Northern Migration. American manufacturing was king, and the Midwest did most of the work. The South and West suffered. The Midwest declines today because Midwestern leaders still think people move just for jobs. The South and West offer quality of life.

Jobs matter, yes, but to get people to move to your town in the 21st century, employment is one leg of a three-legged stool with quality of life and welcoming attitudes toward tourists and newcomers. You can’t succeed on jobs alone.

Honestly, quality of life is why so many of Albert Lea grads go live in the Twin Cities metro area. They want more stuff to do and to find new ways of thinking. Some move back, but many like what they find and stay.

Don’t get me wrong; there are many things to do in Albert Lea. We have our advantages, such as safety and having a voice. But the recurring theme of our city is that it is a place with great potential. You’ve sold me. I like it here. So do others who have moved here. But we hope others move here, too, and for that to happen, we need to emphasize quality of life to our leaders.

I want to see Albert Lea turn that declining census figure around by the time the 2020 census happens.

The fact is, we will have a great advantage if we can turn that corner sooner than other Midwestern cities — because many of them are stuck in old ways. Our goal: Become known as a place to which tourists flock.

That’s why clean lakes matter. That’s why the Fountain Lake fountains matter. That’s why the outdoor hockey rinks matter. That’s why things such as bike lanes, lakefront dining, sidewalk seating, preserved buildings, school levies, police and fire, quality parks, convention space, athletic facilities, downtown beautification, new ways of thinking, freeway beautification, events that bring in out-of-towners, any events that get Albert Lea noticed and an effective Albert Lea tourism campaign should matter, too.

New ways of thinking is how we grow our tax base.

(So can I get bike lanes on Fountain Street?)

Tribune Managing Editor Tim Engstrom’s column appears every Tuesday.