Our Towns Flyer February Edition
Our Towns Flyer February Edition
Revisiting hometowns, colleges revitalizing communities, & more.
Hometowns have been on our minds recently here at Our Towns. During the heart of the pandemic, we heard from many people who relocated to their hometowns for long stays. People saw their towns in a new way; they were surprised at the changes since they left, or the potential for setting up professional shop, or the advantages of a smaller town life, or their feelings (usually positive) about being near family again. Since then, many have decided to stay and try to make it work.
Jim and I have returned to the town where he grew up, Redlands, California, for a long stay this winter. We’ve come back frequently before, including while we were writing Our Towns, the book. We have no family left here now, but in an almost freaky moment of serendipity, we find ourselves renting the small Craftsman house where Jim’s family first lived when they moved west from Philadelphia for his dad to set up his medical practice. ‘Jimmy’ at four years old, was the oldest of three kids.
During our first few days in Redlands, Jim said, “I feel at home here.” The reasons included a few specific memories of very early childhood, but mostly it’s the imprint of his hometown from growing up. It’s the light, the feeling of the air, the orange trees, the broad palm-lined streets, and the mountains, always in sight. I’ve been coming here since 1968, so many years ago that one day I found myself driving past Redlands High School (RHS) and thinking, “Oh, there’s my school!” Of course, it wasn’t! I grew up in an even smaller town in northern Ohio, where my imprint is dominated by Lake Erie, the flat farmland, and the storms barreling in out of nowhere. But I’ve learned that other towns can become rival to real hometowns with time, experiences, a natural affection, and lots of looking and listening.
Many of the stories we’re bringing you from Our Towns this past month have a hometown theme, with different takes on looking and listening. Tom Ruby writes about the power of discovering secret places through the stories of longtime residents in their Italian hometowns. John Austin writes about shepherding a group of Europeans through industrial communities in the American heartland, and tracing their idiosyncratic histories of economic building, decline, and renewal. John Kropf talks about his family’s founding role in the American Crayon Company, which was a long-time major employer in the town where he was born, Sandusky, Ohio. Our Towns collaborated with the Jefferson Educational Society of Erie, Pennsylvania, bringing together community activists from around the country to talk about how they listen to the voices of the people as the starting point for making positive change.
Jim writes about how some universities are deliberately shaping their hometowns. And he talks about California’s new Civilian Conservation Corps-like projects with Josh Fryday of the Governor’s office of California Volunteers. We’ll be reporting and writing more about Cal Volunteers, and especially their on-the-ground initiatives in climate and sustainability projects.
There’s a lot more, which you’ll see as you scroll down below this letter. Wherever you’re from, and wherever you may be now, thanks for being with us.
REPORTS FROM AMERICA
EDUCATION
REVIVING AMERICA, ONE COLLEGE TOWN AT A TIME
BY JAMES FALLOWS
Universities in both Erie, Pennsylvania and Waterville, Maine have made a profound difference in their home communities. Read how in Jim Fallows’s latest article for The Washington Monthly.
READ MORE >
APPLY LESSONS FROM AROUND THE WORLD
DISCOVERING ‘CULTURAL DEBRIS’: MAKING A BIG WORLD SMALL BY PAYING ATTENTION TO PERMANENT THINGS
BY TOM RUBY
What can we learn when we set out in search of 'Cultural Debris'? Tom Ruby writes about his experience leading a group of Americans through Genoa, Italy, exploring what they saw, and who they met, and how local is global.
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ECONOMIC & BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT
WHAT MIDWEST INDUSTRIAL COMMUNITIES CAN TEACH ABOUT MANAGING ECONOMIC CHANGE
BY JOHN AUSTIN
How are the industrial heartland regions of the U.S. and Europe transforming to diminish geographic economic disparities and opportunity gaps? John Austin writes about what a recent U.S.-Midwest learning exchange reveals.
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PODCAST
INSIDE OUR TOWNS: JOHN KROPF
BY EVAN SANFORD
The story of John Kropf’s childhood is best written with crayons. John joins Evan Sanford to discuss his latest book, which explores Sandusky, Ohio’s innovative industrial heritage, and his family’s role in it.
LISTEN NOW >
BIG LITTLE IDEAS
‘AMERICA IS THE MOST INTERESTING PLACE IN THE WORLD AT THIS MOMENT’
BY DEBORAH FALLOWS
Deb and Jim discuss their journey of American discovery with Brett Hollenbeck from the Tower Community Bank in Jasper, Tennessee, on ‘The Impact Code’ podcast.
LISTEN NOW>
COMMUNITIES THAT WORK
COMMUNITIES THAT WORK
‘HOW AMERICA’S TOWNS ARE WRITING THE FUTURE OF THE COUNTRY’
BY BEN SPEGGEN
While the story of the U.S. may seem divided at the national level, Ben Speggen led a panel discussion about how the resident-driven process of Community Heart & Soul helps people at the local level work together to improve their towns.
WATCH NOW>
BIG LITTLE IDEAS
‘UNITING AMERICANS THROUGH SERVICE: HOW CALIFORNIA IS LEADING’
BY BEN SPEGGEN
How is service uniting Americans? California’s Chief Service Officer, Josh Fryday, joined Jim Fallows to discuss the initiatives of the California Volunteers, their impact, and how the state-level work is serving as a model nationwide.
WATCH NOW >
RURAL & REGIONAL
RUNNING FIBER-OPTIC CABLE TO RURAL COMMUNITIES IS PART OF MAINE’S AMBITIOUS BROADBAND PLAN
BY CAROLYN CAMPBELL, THE DAILY YONDER
Maine’s governor has pledged that everyone in the state who wants high-speed internet will be able to get it by the end of 2024. Carolyn Campbell reports on the statewide initiative for The Daily Yonder.
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ENVIRONMENT & SUSTAINABILITY
CLEVELAND PILOT PROJECT PROVIDES ROOFTOP SOLAR FOR LOW-INCOME RESIDENTS
BY KATHIANN M. KOWALSKI, ENERGY NEWS NETWORK
A pilot project in Cleveland is connecting low-income residents with rooftop solar programs. Kathiann M. Kowalski reports on the collaborative effort for Energy News Network.
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ENVIRONMENT & SUSTAINABILITY
3 REASONS LOCAL CLIMATE ACTIVISM IS MORE POWERFUL THAN PEOPLE REALIZE
BY ADAM ARON, THE CONVERSATION
University of California, San Diego Psychology Professor Adam Aron, author of the new book, “The Climate Crisis,” makes the case for why local activism matters more than some might realize when it comes to climate change.
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