catapult magazine

catapult magazine
 

Vol 3, Num 18 :: 2004.11.05 — 2004.11.18

 
 

Our towns

We sent out an e-mail asking members of the *cino community how they feel about their current hometowns. Here are some of the responses?


From J.K. in Michigan:

In what town or city do you currently live?

I live in a small, quaint Michigan community with the city limit’s population around 7,600. It’s on the state’s registry for historic downtowns.

Why do you live in your town?


I moved to this town with my parents 21 years ago for my father’s job. I was only seven years old at the time. I moved overseas after college and then chose to move back to my hometown to be close to my family. Then my parents moved away and I chose to stay. I’ve been actively involved in my community. It has wonderful opportunities to get involved in festivals, arts, my church is fantastic, my friends are here and the natural beauty is all around!


If you still live in the town of your childhood, how has your perspective on it changed?


Being an adult in my hometown has really made me appreciate all the organizations, businesses and environment of my hometown that come together for what our city commission has labeled (as cheesy as it may sound) “unity in community.” I can truly sense that and am proud to be involved with the unity.


How connected to your neighborhood do you feel? What do you love about it? What would you change?


VERY CONNECTED! Partially because of my job. It has put me at the hub of my community, which is awesome. Even though I’m transitioning out of that job and won’t necessarily be at the “hub” any longer I know that I will make a conscious effort to be an involved citizen. I love the festivals that celebrate this community, its heritage, and its natural beauty.


I love the architecture of our downtown buildings and all our parks, rivers and lakes, the many avenues and outlets for the arts and the most awesome autumn colors around!


I am however aware of some hostility and lack of “unity in the community” and I would love for those walls to break down—for the whole community to have the same vision and passion for a positive direction for its citizens.




From B.D. in Taiwan:


In what town or city do you currently live?


Taipei, Taiwan. What is it like? Very polluted. My first hour, I felt the air entering my lungs, and it made me ill. The population, I have heard, is around 10 million! It is different than a North American city in that it is city, city, city, and then mountains. There isn’t a ?suburb? here. It is relatively wealthy, and yet many people own little businesses that are also their living rooms because they are living hand to mouth. Taipei 101 is the tallest building in the world (I’m not sure where the CN Tower fits in), but other than that, I have not come across any other major attractions.


Why do you live in your town?


I am ?taking a year off? from North America. I was feeling oppressed and smothered by the sexuality in our culture, and I wanted to broaden my perspective. I also deliberately set this year apart as a thank offering to God, who led me out of homosexuality last year and brought me into a greater experience of His Presence and Grace in my New Man. I am currently looking for work here (and running out of visa time…).



How is your current town different from or similar to the town in which you grew up?


I grew up in ultra-rural Pennsylvania. I lived there from birth to 18, when I moved to Hamilton for university. I could not even begin to list the ways in which Taipei is different. [It?s different] in about every way imaginable.


How connected to your neighborhood do you feel? What do you love about it? What would you change?


I have been here for only a few weeks, so I feel very unconnected. I would gladly change the idolatry and the number of English speakers. The people are generally very nice. It’s really too new to say what I love or hate (though I do hate the smell, the music, the food).




From J.V.D. in Ontario:


In what town or city do you currently live?


I live in the city of Hamilton, Ontario, pop. 394,000 at last count. The city is divided into two tiers: downtown and the mountain communities, and into several smaller communities within these (East, Central, and West Mountain and Hamilton; also Westdale, Beach Boulevard). The ?New City of Hamilton? brought together under one administration a number of other area towns, including Ancaster, Dundas, and Stoney Creek. Hamilton has always had a reputation of being ?Steeltown?—a dirty industrial city, known for little else besides Stelco, Dofasco, and TigerCats football (CFL). The atmosphere of the city ranges from the academic area in Westdale (near McMaster University) to the infamously poor Central and East sides; the congested downtown, with a melee of apartment complexes from the 1950s-1970s housing boom; and the high-class neighbourhoods of the West Mountain suburbs. As for central attractions, depending on who you ask, Hamilton has a few halls that bring in well-known acts; a beautiful view from the scenic drives and trails on the escarpment edge; no less than 12 waterfalls in the nearby area; golf courses, a nearby Royal Botanical Gardens, Universities and Colleges (McMaster University, Mohawk College and Redeemer University College). ?The Hammer? used to boast its own alpine ski area (mostly artificial) that produced a number of well-known athletes at one time.


The city is largely blue-collar, with Stelco and Dofasco providing a backbone of jobs, and other service industries beyond. Burlington Harbour makes the city an excellent shipping depot, and it is located at the junction of the 403 and QEW, near Toronto and on the short-route from Michigan to New York State and the Atlantic Northeast.


Why do you live in your town?


I live in Hamilton because I go to school in Ancaster, and I wanted to get the feeling of living downtown, near all kinds of independent shops and restaurants, and in the midst of many people—with the hopes of establishing some small community. Also, I wanted to get more involved with a nearby church and pay as little rent as possible.


How is your current town different from or similar to the town in which you grew up?


I grew up in a town of 2,300. I would say Hamilton is almost completely different. I also grew up in a house about eight times the size of the apartment I live in right now, so that might skew things. My town, however, is also built around the Niagara Escarpment. Although the elevation difference is much less where I am from, and there is no real area that can be described as being ‘better’ than another, the views from our ‘hill’ are highly prized.


I feel like I can belong in both my city home and in my small-town roots; I have communities in both, and enjoy the proximity of the urban center, and the comfortable intimacy of small-town life.


How connected to your neighborhood do you feel? What do you love about it? What would you change?


I am not as connected to my current community as I would like to be—though I at least know the names of the people I share a house with (the other apartments). I like being in my neighbourhood, with the trains running in the back yard, the neighbours sitting on their front porch in the morning, the kids occasionally walking down the street with parents on their way to the park. I like the small, cozy restaurants with quality food and reasonable prices. I think I would develop more community focus if I could—try to get to know my neighbours a little bit better. Maybe I will have a pizza bake-off, and invite them all for a fun-filled culinary contest.




From B.D. in North Carolina:


In what town or city do you currently live?


Charlotte, North Carolina, pop. approx. 600,000 people. Charlotte is a sprawling town, often compared to an earlier Atlanta. It struggles with rapid growth, with subdivisions, new apartments and housing developments everywhere. It’s eerily landscaped, not a bush or plant out of place. Every road in South Charlotte has plants and trees in the middle and on the sides, but the story is very different. Neighborhoods change rapidly—you can cross a single street and go from a great part of town to the “bad part.” I have also never seen as many shopping centers as I have here. Within walking distance from my house there are 4 major shopping centers. It’s ridiculous really. The city is alive, and definitely growing, but really struggling with that growth. There’s been a lot of white flight from the urban areas. Suburban schools are chronically overcrowded, but urban schools have plenty of seats. The school district feels the effects of the shifting population. It was in Charlotte that one of the big bussing for integration cases was contested. Racial integration is difficult. On the bright side, there is a growing arts scene, though it’s still emerging. There are still a lot of mullets, especially when anything NASCAR is going on.


Why do you live in your town?


I moved here for a job in the public school system. I really had no other good reason to move here, but no reason not to either.


How is your current town different from or similar to the town in which you grew up?


Waaaaaay different. In my town growing up, there was one family who was not white, and we knew who they were and where they lived. There was also one Democratic family, and we also knew where they lived. Though there were far too many “watchful eyes” at home, and my family was sort of scrutinized, it’s also difficult to live in a city where you might not know anyone you see grocery shopping. Thankfully my homeowner’s association is becoming more active, but it’s still way different. It’s also got some positives—there are far more public services and opportunities, too. Absence does make my heart grow fonder of my hometown too. Someday I imagine I’ll go back to it, for the community and pace of life.


How connected to your neighborhood do you feel? What do you love about it? What would you change?


I don’t feel quite connected yet. I love that it’s safe for a young, single female, and I love that even though there are busy roads, there’s also lots of trees and grass. I love that there are sidewalks, and communal mailboxes for the other condo owners, because it brings us together. I would change the fact that traffic moves so quickly through it. It doesn’t seem like a big deal, but it just sort of puts you into a frenzy. I would also like everyone to have front porches so we could hang out and get to know each other more.




D.H. from Minnesota:


In what town or city do you currently live?


Rochester, Minnesota, a cosmopolitan mid-western mini-city of 80,000, though the population is swelled by the influx of patients and their families who are being treated at the Mayo Clinic—the institution which dominates the landscape. A prosperous place, it is also busy, with two distinct populations which overlap only occasionally: the professional world of medical folk and the blue-color workers of various vocations (supporting the medical establishment or farming).


Why do you live in your town?


We moved here, with our three children in 1981, though we didn’t know a soul here, because L’Abri Fellowship was here, and we knew that we needed to be part of a Christian community in which we could find kindred spirits.


How is your current town different from or similar to the town in which you grew up?


I grew up without roots, since my parents were fundamentalist missionaries, and they didn’t believe such things were important in a world that was going to hell in a handbasket. Since moving here I have discovered the wonder of place, of how geography shapes us, body and soul, for blessings and for curse.


How connected to your neighborhood do you feel? What do you love about it? What would you change?


Though we are not formally a part of L’Abri, that community is still our lifeline, and most precious. I feel rooted here in the mid-west, and love it here, with the harsh winters and rich black soil. The bane of the city is its busyness—one result of which is the absence of any true coffeehouse which beckons you to sit and read, and talk, and simply be. When I mentioned that lack recently to the wife of a Clinic physician she said no one in Rochester had time for such a place, but “we sure could use several more drive-up coffee kiosks.” We live in an old style mid-west house, complete with front and back porches; sadly, there are few people who have the time to enjoy them with us.




Discussion: My hometown


How would you answer the questions put to the community article participants? What is your town like and why do you live there?

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