"We Want You Back" - Small Town USA Makes A Comeback Small towns in North Carolina, and especially the community members who call these towns home, have a truly unique story to tell. The story of North Wilkesboro is one that every small town in this amazing state of ours can find inspiration in. Having never lived in the area before, moving here has given me an immense opportunity to learn about Wilkes and its people. I discovered that the best way to learn is to observe, and sometimes by asking questions. Listening to the stories of community stakeholders during my Listening Tour for the Community Needs Assessment, I was able to gather valuable insight and perspective on the community itself. This provided me with information about how things have …show more content…
Hearing the stories of some people in the community made me realize that the song “Our Town” by James Taylor, resonates to tell the story of many small towns throughout North Carolina and America as a whole. It seems as if some community members view themselves more like the town of Radiator Springs from the Disney Pixar movie Cars, than as the nostalgic and tranquil Mayberry. Moreover, the sentiment of some had previously been that their best days were behind them, and that there was no hope for improving their lives and the lives of their neighbors. However, even Radiator Springs turned the circumstances of the community around despite having the interstate bypass the town. They did this by capitalizing and building on what they had. There are always opportunities and paths forward. A community just has to know where to look for those and execute on them. The answer that North Wilkesboro had to the lamenting of what was lost in the past, was to look to the future with a sense of optimism. A song by Alex Key which carries the name of that uniting slogan, “We Want You Back,” I was told, tells the story of our
The Crossroads development has dominated the local conversation in Mahwah for the past 9 months. Over the past few years, the Crossroads Developers had put forth various proposals for development of the site, only to have them rejected by the Mahwah Township Council. This past March, the Developer once again came to the Council in order to ask that their property be rezoned from office use to mixed-use/retail to allow for the construction of a complex of retail stores, restaurants, a movie theater, hotel and office space. Over 400 residents attended the March 31 meeting to express their opposition to the development. This unprecedented turnout by Mahwah residents, unlike any the Council had seen before, should have been enough for the Council to realize that a decision to rezone the property may not be in the best interests of Mahwah residents. Instead, the Council voted 4-2 to allow for the property to be rezoned.
Have you ever loved a place as a child, but as you got older you realized how sugar coated it really was? Well, that is how Jacqueline Woodson felt about her mother’s hometown and where she went every summer for vacation. The story, When A Southern Town Broke A Heart, starts off with the author feeling as if Greenville is her home. But one year when she has 9 she saw it as the racist place it really is. This causes her to feel betrayed, but also as if she isn't the naive little girl she once was. By observing this change, you can conclude that the theme she is trying to convey is that as you get older, you also get wiser.
Community elected home owners association officials are constantly involved in complex decisions regarding the state, safety, and welfare of the property of our small community and solving community problems. Effective ways to solve problems faced by Deer Crossing Homeowners’ is to conduct a needs assessment of the community in an effort to provide feedback for the community elected officials.
Most people who grow up in Cincinnati cant wait to get out, but once they leave they can’t wait to come back because there is no other place like it. It has the small town “homey” feeling everybody grows to love, along with big city options that are easily accessible. Nobody ever wants to come to Cincinnati, but once they do, they realize how special it is, regardless of the territory. Its unique structure comes as surprise, yet, joyous experience and that’s what makes it special. East or West, North or South Who-Dey baby!
I could tell while speaking to my interviewees how much passion they had for the school alone. Our generation does not focus on what was done before but what is here now. When looking back in time the history is much relevant then the present. Completing this project made me appreciate Scotlandville even more for what they’ve done to make the Scotlandville family what it is today.
Driving through Charlestown will take you just three minutes. The kids on street corners will stare at your car, while adults will yell out your name and wave. The friendly atmosphere can make you feel welcome if you are a part of the neighborhood. But it vanishes if you are an outsider or a local victim of a crime.
I was born and raised in Buffalo, New York and it’s all I’ve ever known. When I was younger my parents took me on little short trips like, Toronto and Columbus, Ohio. I was young, so I didn’t really remember a lot that was going on or different about the two places. When I got older, I decided I wanted a change in my life but did not know what or where. In September of 2003, I was invited to my cousin’s wedding in Charlotte, North Carolina. I decided to go and when I did, I did not want to return back to Buffalo. Of course, I had to come back to Buffalo because I was only visiting. I had made up in my mind right then, Charlotte, North Carolina was the place for my children and me. I decided to move to Charlotte before Christmas of that year. My experiences were years to remember. I stayed in Charlotte for a total of seven years. During the years I had been living in Charlotte, my most memorable experiences were the weather and the commuting.
Many folks go their whole lives without having to move. For them it is easy; they know the same people, have loads of friends, and never have to move away from their families. As with me, I was in a different situation. I grew up my entire life, all eighteen years of it, in a small town called Yorktown, Virginia. In my attempt to reach out for a better life style, my girlfriend and I decided we were going to move to Shreveport, Louisiana. Through this course of action, I realized that not two places in this country are exactly alike. I struggled with things at first, but I found some comforts of home here as well.
"Building Partnerships to Revitalize America's Neighborhoods." HBCU Central (Winter 2002): 1-6. Winter 2002. Web. 2 May 2012.
To me, the drive felt like forever even though it was only 35 miles from Petoskey to Mackinaw City. As 10-year-old me sat in the back seat of my mom’s car, I remember repeatedly asking the question most parents dread to hear, “are we almost there?” Every time I asked she would shake her head in bemused frustration and respond, “you’ll know when we get there”. At the time, I was not sure what I was most excited for: the ride on the ferry, the big horses, the historical fort, the inevitable delicious ice cream; it all sounded whimsically amazing and I could not be more excited to arrive on Mackinac Island.
When I was 13, my family bought a farm in Monkey's Elbow, Kentucky. I had been use to the fast pace of the city I had lived in , Frankfort. I had thought transitioning from a city to more of a rural area wouldn’t have a big affect on me, but it did, a major one. In the late summer of 2012 my family bought the farm i now live on located along highway 146. The trips between our houses were unbearable. Lasting around three hours each from the farm to Frankfort several times a day.
In the thumb of Michigan there sits a very small town with about 1,000 residents. This town is the typical thing you would picture, it’s just like the movies where you drive down the main street and you see someone you know, they’ll wave and yell hi. The name of this town is Brown City and it is the place that I call home. If you were to drive down M-53 at some point you might see a sign pointing you towards Brown City. Once you turned onto M-90 you’ll start going by some of our residents homes. As you drive down this road you’ll see fields of crops on both of your sides and will probably encounter a large tractor or combine. You’ll see Mrs. Rayba, the music teachers, house where she has large drums filled with flowers sitting near her front porch. Go down this bumpy road more and you’ll see the sign that welcomes you to our tiny town, “Welcome to Brown City, Home of the Motorhome”. Across from
I have applied a qualitative methodology for this essay to provide a literature review and given examples, where relevant, drawn from my practical experiences of working with communities in Bordesley Green (BG), Birmingham and in overseas.
Small towns are looked down upon and criticized because they are small; however, they might be the best town of all. All of the people who reside there are thoughtful of one another, care for their neighbor, and their family. Small towns have good cultural values of what is considered good, desirable, and proper (Schaefer 2016:63). Residents feel like they are a part of something bigger than the town. People who grow up in small towns have better morals, give more athletic opportunities to children, and have a sense of community.
Initially a profile of a community will be drawn up using research methods, surveys and statistics that will highlight the issues faced by the community. Then a plan...