Towns: Small is Beautiful

Searching for a sense of community, sharing, and a connection with humanity? Move to a small town.

1 minute read

January 13, 2006, 2:00 PM PST

"You don't have to be from a small town to know what one is like. Your stereotype is right: Old-timers gossip over morning coffee, and every person at the cafe knows you, and your dog too. Streets are nearly empty most nights, with only a few teen-agers driving in circles until they finally accumulate enough velocity to spin out of town."

"More parents must teach their children that there's no shame in the stereotype we rightfully perpetuate about small towns. In fact, the stereotype reveals the best things about small towns. Economically shaky or not, they're built on the bedrock of human nature."

"Some small towns are in the middle of nowhere. But that's really somewhere: 'now' and 'here.' Small towns offer an experience of the present that is wholly unmediated, face to face. With nowhere to hide, we can stop trying to. And thanks to technology, these places are no longer isolated from the world outside."

FULL STORY: In Appreciation of Small Towns

Thursday, January 12, 2006 in CommonDreams

Community / Economic Development United States

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I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching.

Mary G., Urban Planner

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