​Looking Back: The Twenty-tens

by Marcia Napier, Grain Valley Historical Society


Politics, the economy, and advancements in technology. That’s no doubt how the decade from 2010-2019 will be remembered. Looking back at decades 50 to 100-years-ago, it is fairly easy to say what is “remembered” about the time period. Looking back at a decade that ended only 6-years-ago is a much more arduous task.

Will we remember or even care when the British soldiers pull out of Afghanistan? Will we remember the first smartwatch, the first LED lights, wireless health devices, or the killing of Osama Bin Laden? We may remember the launch of Instagram and the release of the first iPad. I’m sure we will remember the introduction of the smart phone!

How will our town remember the twenty-tens?  More growth, no doubt. Last week in this column I told you 2006 was the first graduation class with 100 members.  It took 97 years! It took only six years to grow from 100 to 200 and six more years (2018) to reach 300 graduates. 

During the twenty-tens Grain Valley also many businesses. Three years ago in this column, I mentioned that by the end of May, the city had issued over 300 business licenses. Hopefully, all of the businesses will still be around in another decade. 

Photo credit: Grain Valley Historical Society