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How does a physicist “fit” into a small town?
October 21st, 2008 by Mike Knutson
Where would a physicist go in a small town to make conversion? No, this statement is not the opening line of a joke: It’s a real question highlighting the difficulty some professionals in rural communities have bringing up their work in a conversation with their neighbors. Farmers can always talk about their crops or the weather; but bring up quantum mechanics or the theory of relativity, and I bet the conversation is pretty short.
Jill Weber Aanenson of Freeman, South Dakota is someone who’s been living the above scenario. She works as a consultant for an out-of-state company that studies radiation and other environmental contaminants. I read about Jill’s story on Eric Abrahamson’s “The New Pioneers”, a blog dedicated to showcasing entrepreneurs in the northern Great Plains.
Sunset outside of Freeman, South Dakota
What struck me about Jill’s story was that she grew up in Sioux Falls, SD, has a job that would allow her to live anywhere, and chooses to live in Freeman. And based on Eric’s description, Aanenson is happy there.
Moving to Freeman, however, was not without its challenges. First off, her job was a conversation killer; people couldn’t grasp what a physicist did, let alone talk about it. Second, she held outsider status; not that she was shunned, but she didn’t quite fit in either. This finally began to change, however, when she started to meet other parents and became involved in a few community groups.
There’s the rub. People who move to a rural community usually have to become an active part of a group to fit into the community. That’s how social connections are made.
The good news is, it’s generally pretty easy to join groups in rural communities. Usually, newcomers are welcomed with open arms. But if you are new to a community, how do you know that being involved in the community is the path to “insider status”?
This issue – how people become a part of a community — is a subject that the Rural Learning Center and Rural Transformations, Inc. hopes to dig into more in the near future. We believe it’s a big issue; after all, if a newcomer doesn’t experience a sense of community and belonging, they are more likely to go elsewhere. And none of our rural communities can afford to let this happen.
If you have some ideas on the subject we would love to hear them.
Tags: community involvement, Freeman SD, Rural, social capital
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