Community Life Newspaper

“Friendly Association for Community Service”  -Hartland Area Project slogan

The concept of a paper for the Hartland Area Project grew out of the need for a regular means of communication among all the homes in the area. In October 1933, the first issue of Community Life,  a local monthly newspaper, was published. This was an outgrowth of The Blue and Gold Echo, a school newspaper.

In the 1930s the records indicate that approximately 400 homes were receiving the four to eight page newspaper printed from September to June each year. A subscription cost a dollar per home. Circulation numbers today are 17,500 and the paper is mailed out at no cost to the residents and business within the Hartland Consolidated School District. People residing outside the district or Livingston County pay $20 for an annual subscription. The paper now averages 24-32 pages per issue and is mailed out 10 time a year (September through June) following the school calendar.

The Community Life newspaper has been funded in part through grants written to the Heartland Foundation and the Hartland Schools Foundation, as well as revenue received through advertisers, donations and subscriptions.

In October 2013, the paper can boast 80 years of continuous publication. It is a wonderful source of historical information as it has been a chronicle of events and people specific to the Hartland Area.