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What are others saying about Hazelton?
February 18th, 2010 by Mike Knutson
As I noted yesterday, there’s quite a bit of online conversation about the Hazelton story. I thought I’d highlight some of it for readers so they don’t have to go looking for it. Some of the comments are thoughtful, but most lack sincerity and understanding. Hopefully we the conversation deepens over time.
Madville Times blogger Cory Heidelberger raises the argument that small towns can’t afford to picky in his post titled “Small Town Development: You’ve got to want it” because small towns need every resident possible. It’s a good point. All small towns need to be open to new people and ideas.
When I first read the comments posted about this article in the InFargo Forum, all I could this was, “Wow! I can’t imagine the story generating this much interest.” As of my writing there are over 250 comments about the article. My second response was “Why are North Dakotans so negative about their small towns?” Am I missing something or what? I don’t have a problem with people pointing out issues with small towns, but the venom with which many of the comments are made is discouraging. And the bickering, well that’s just embarrassing. (Readers have a limited time to see this article before it’s archived.)
Jon Trouten offers some thoughtful comments in his post titled “What would it take to relocate to Small Town America” on his personal blog title. It sounds like Jon grew up in small town Minnesota, and the idea of moving closer to his parents is appealing. But as Jon notes, being married to another man with biracial and handicapped children would present some challenges. Sort speaks to Cory’s point, doesn’t it?
Perhaps the most radical blog post comes to us from the Miami News Times. In an article titled “Small-Town Values? Miami Family Shunned After Moving to North Dakota,” the author makes fun of “small town values” saying “But we’ve always had a feeling that was a crock. We’d much rather live in welcoming, sunny South Florida than a judgmental small town any day. We’re not saying we’re angels here in Miami, but — damn it — we don’t shun anyone down here.”
Shawn Fury, a freelance writer uses the Hazelton story to write about his hometown of Janesville, Minnesota. Titled “Small Town Blues,” the article is deeper than most small town reminiscing. Shawn now lives in Manhattan, and doesn’t see much future in small towns. But I appreciated his thoughts.
Update: Here are a few more posts I’ve stumbled upon since originally publishing this post.
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“Small Town Outsiders: Embrace the Change,” That Tall Dude, Feb. 18, 2010 — The author grew up in a rural North Dakota town and knows people from Hazelton.
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“Sustainability and Small Town America,” University of Minnesota Press (blog), Feb. 18, 2010 — In this post, two book authors offer their thoughts on the subject.
Tags: Hazelton ND, North Dakota
Posted in Community Development, Economic Development | Comments (
2 )
February 18th, 2010 at 11:08 am
Mike, thanks for the link. I really hope there is a strong future for small towns. Perhaps I was a bit too pessimistic in that post. I think Janesville and other towns will be around forever, but wonder what kind of shape they’ll be in - how good will the schools be, how successful will local businesses be, etc. I admire the work people like you and many others put into coming up with creative ideas that could really make a difference. Instead of just pontificating like me, you’re actually doing something for the towns. You have a great site here as well.
February 18th, 2010 at 12:44 pm
Shawn,
to ground us in reality. And as someone who hopes good things will happen to rural communities, I’d encourage you will stop back to share your thoughts. That’s exactly why we say the blogs about “Building a conversation about the future of rural.”
Thanks for the kind words. I appreciated your open, honest comments about Janesville in your post. We need that pontification