Our Towns

I've just finished reading Our Towns: A 100,000 Mile Journey into the Heart of America by James Fallows and Deborah Fallows. The authors, who write for the Atlantic and charted their multi-year progress on that publication's Our Towns notebook, have a few things to say about what makes places prosperous and what makes them whole.

Their observations were based on their visits (often multiple visits, some years apart) to towns and cities all across America, from Eastport, Maine, to Redlands, California; from Holland, Michigan, to Greenville, South Carolina.

Here's some of what they learned about what makes towns tick: Thriving places consider themselves separate entities, not suburban satellites, and people work together on practical local possibilities rather than letting national politics keep them apart. Many of these towns have flourished because of public-private partnerships, research universities and community colleges. Elementary and secondary education also makes a difference. Downtowns are one of the most important features. They enliven towns, they give them heart.

The part of the book that spoke to me most involved the intersection of people and place. When asked why they live where they do, citizens of these towns say it's about belonging. "This is my place," they exclaim. To which the Fallows add: "From Sioux Falls to Eastport to Columbus to San Bernardino. Hometown [is] home."

(The photo is from my hometown, Lexington, Kentucky, which was not featured in the book but which holds a special place in my heart.)