Not a trendsetter
22/05/14 05:33
I’ve not lived my life in the places where the trends are set. I have never lived near one of the coasts of the country. People didn’t look to North Dakota for fashion trends when I lived there. There was a small oil boom in the Williston basin during those years, but it was nothing compared to what is going on up there these days. In fact, the big news during our North Dakota days was called the farm crisis. The county where we lived peaked in population shortly after it was opened for settlement early in the 20th century and for the most part experienced a steady decline in numbers from that point on. The decrease in population was accelerated by the Great Depression in the 1930’s and the farm crisis of the 1980’s. Visiting that country today shows towns that are much smaller with many institutions, including schools and churches, that have been closed. We, too left that place following the call to ministry in another region of the country.
Our decade in Boise was a decade in a growing city. The population boomed, the city lagged behind in infrastructure. Traffic became a problem. The cost of land and homes soared. It really was a booming place. But to this day, when people look to see what the latest trends are, they rarely think of checking things out in Boise.
And now, living in Western South Dakota, one has the sense that we live away from much of the news making in our country. I scan the headlines from several world news sources each day, but I rarely see an article about the place where I live. When I do, it is usually is about tourism or Mt. Rushmore. From time to time, Rapid City is nominated for Outside Magazine’s best places to live in America, but we don’t end up at the top of that list, beat out by places that are closer to major metropolitan centers. Bozeman, Montana was named on that list one year and that is only 60 miles from where I grew up, but that occurred decades after I had moved away. We think our community of 66,000 is a metropolitan center. After all, you have to go more than 300 miles in any direction to find a town that is bigger. We don’t seem to win many competitions that require people to vote on the “best.” We’re probably best known for mountain carving, which doesn’t exactly proceed at a rapid pace.
I sort of like being in a place that is not the center of attention. I kind of like not being on the leading edge of fashion or trends. Those who know me are well aware that I don’t put a lot of effort into choosing clothes or keeping up with the latest trends.
I know that the globe is warming. I have read many articles that explain the greenhouse effect and the changes in the chemistry of the atmosphere. I pay attention to disappearing glaciers and rising sea levels. But I don’t have much firsthand experience with it. I guess there is some connection between global warming and our experience of a couple of colder-than-normal winters, but it seems to me to be a bit of a badge of honor to be from a place that is a bit colder as the rest of the world is getting a bit warmer.
As the population of the world swells, people are increasingly moving toward urban centers. There are a lot more people on this planet. But I don’t have to go far to visit towns that are much smaller than they used to be. The plains are dotted with towns filled with abandoned buildings where once thriving main streets are now deserted. Reva and Lodgepole and Ludlow never were urban centers and I don’t believe that Prairie City was ever a city. But old timers can remember when there were more businesses in Isabel and McLaughlin and McIntosh and Lemmon. Cross the line into North Dakota and places line Haynes and Bucyrus and Gascoyne all show evidence of having once had bigger populations.
After the people leave, the prairie will eventually reclaim the land. It doesn’t happen all at once. Usually the wood gives out first. Roofs began to leak and eventually collapse and wood frame walls give way to wind storms. The brick buildings seem to last longer. They fill with dust and a few weeds begin to grow in the cracks and over time it becomes clear that once proud buildings will never be rebuilt. Occasionally a former bank is repurposed as a shop for a few years, with a bit of plywood replacing what once had been windows and a doorway enlarged to accommodate an overhead door. It is a shame to see old buildings simply abandoned and sometimes someone will come up with a creative temporary use, but it usually is temporary. I know of a former church that is now a funeral parlor and another that has been remodeled into a home for a family.
I’m quite comfortable not being in the place of the most rapid growth. I like having a bit more room to spread out and empty places to go walking and exploring. Like others, I feel a twinge when I realize that our children have moved to other states an aren’t likely to ever live in this place. I am excited as the young adults in our church go off to college and new careers and aware that the majority of them won’t be coming back here to live before they reach their retirement. The statisticians tell us that our major area of growth is retiring people. We should be able to sustain some positive growth right in Rapid City as long as people keep coming to the hills to retire. Retired people are good for churches and we welcome new retirees into our community easily and comfortably.
The world is changing. And we are changing with it. But somehow I don’t think I’m going to be on the leading edge setting the trends. I’ll leave that role to others.
Our decade in Boise was a decade in a growing city. The population boomed, the city lagged behind in infrastructure. Traffic became a problem. The cost of land and homes soared. It really was a booming place. But to this day, when people look to see what the latest trends are, they rarely think of checking things out in Boise.
And now, living in Western South Dakota, one has the sense that we live away from much of the news making in our country. I scan the headlines from several world news sources each day, but I rarely see an article about the place where I live. When I do, it is usually is about tourism or Mt. Rushmore. From time to time, Rapid City is nominated for Outside Magazine’s best places to live in America, but we don’t end up at the top of that list, beat out by places that are closer to major metropolitan centers. Bozeman, Montana was named on that list one year and that is only 60 miles from where I grew up, but that occurred decades after I had moved away. We think our community of 66,000 is a metropolitan center. After all, you have to go more than 300 miles in any direction to find a town that is bigger. We don’t seem to win many competitions that require people to vote on the “best.” We’re probably best known for mountain carving, which doesn’t exactly proceed at a rapid pace.
I sort of like being in a place that is not the center of attention. I kind of like not being on the leading edge of fashion or trends. Those who know me are well aware that I don’t put a lot of effort into choosing clothes or keeping up with the latest trends.
I know that the globe is warming. I have read many articles that explain the greenhouse effect and the changes in the chemistry of the atmosphere. I pay attention to disappearing glaciers and rising sea levels. But I don’t have much firsthand experience with it. I guess there is some connection between global warming and our experience of a couple of colder-than-normal winters, but it seems to me to be a bit of a badge of honor to be from a place that is a bit colder as the rest of the world is getting a bit warmer.
As the population of the world swells, people are increasingly moving toward urban centers. There are a lot more people on this planet. But I don’t have to go far to visit towns that are much smaller than they used to be. The plains are dotted with towns filled with abandoned buildings where once thriving main streets are now deserted. Reva and Lodgepole and Ludlow never were urban centers and I don’t believe that Prairie City was ever a city. But old timers can remember when there were more businesses in Isabel and McLaughlin and McIntosh and Lemmon. Cross the line into North Dakota and places line Haynes and Bucyrus and Gascoyne all show evidence of having once had bigger populations.
After the people leave, the prairie will eventually reclaim the land. It doesn’t happen all at once. Usually the wood gives out first. Roofs began to leak and eventually collapse and wood frame walls give way to wind storms. The brick buildings seem to last longer. They fill with dust and a few weeds begin to grow in the cracks and over time it becomes clear that once proud buildings will never be rebuilt. Occasionally a former bank is repurposed as a shop for a few years, with a bit of plywood replacing what once had been windows and a doorway enlarged to accommodate an overhead door. It is a shame to see old buildings simply abandoned and sometimes someone will come up with a creative temporary use, but it usually is temporary. I know of a former church that is now a funeral parlor and another that has been remodeled into a home for a family.
I’m quite comfortable not being in the place of the most rapid growth. I like having a bit more room to spread out and empty places to go walking and exploring. Like others, I feel a twinge when I realize that our children have moved to other states an aren’t likely to ever live in this place. I am excited as the young adults in our church go off to college and new careers and aware that the majority of them won’t be coming back here to live before they reach their retirement. The statisticians tell us that our major area of growth is retiring people. We should be able to sustain some positive growth right in Rapid City as long as people keep coming to the hills to retire. Retired people are good for churches and we welcome new retirees into our community easily and comfortably.
The world is changing. And we are changing with it. But somehow I don’t think I’m going to be on the leading edge setting the trends. I’ll leave that role to others.