Community
Winston Churchill said,
“The longer you can look back, the farther you can look forward.”
Well as far back as I can look, I’ve NEVER wanted to live in a city. New York City or any such place of the sort has never appealed to me. When I was a child, I wanted to live in the fort or in a tipi like the Native Americans. Heck, I’d still live in a tipi and for a couple decades now, I’ve dreamt of living in an A-frame cabin, in the mountains, one hour removed from civilization. The last requirement? By the time I die, I still want zero neighbors.
Looking toward “S'“ hill in downtown Salida.Then at age 37, I moved from primarily living outdoors to primarily living indoors (#officelife) and subsequently immersed myself in small town Colorado; Salida to be specific or Adventure Capitol of the World. With whitewater kayaking one block away, mountain biking two blocks away, 14,000’ peaks 30 minutes away, world class rock climbing 1.5 hours away, and hot springs to boot, Salida was my DREAM town.
Me kayaking a section of the Arkansas River near Salida.But it wasn’t just the easy access to recreation or being constantly surrounded by like-minded adventurers that caused me to peruse property WITHIN TOWN LIMITS! I could happily live in Salida because of the sense of community. Salida actually cares about its 5,000 residents.
Free Little Libraries everywhere
Free Little Pantries everywhere
Free life jackets and helmets down by the whitewater put-in
Food boxes packed for adults and children every Thursday
An arcade that still cost just a quarter per game
Bike park
Skate park
Whitewater Park
Parades every weekend
You name it, the adults walk to it and the children bike to it. As for me, I walked to the grocer, the post office, library, and to morning coffee. I walked and hardly ever drove. I hardly ever drove because I never needed a vacation. I genuinely loved where I lived. Salida showed me what a town could be like; what a town should be like.
*** BUT I LEFT ***
Lake City's town park. Be here at 9:00am for your daily Zumba!When my Salida lease ended, I finally decided to experience #officelife in the tiny mountain town of Lake City, CO. The old mining town’s remoteness, lack of civilization, and 14,000’ peaks captured my heart years ago. Lake City, located in the lower 48’s most remote county, holds a year-round population of 450. The infrastructure hasn’t changed. We have boardwalks instead of concrete sidewalks and the bank as well as my office windows still have bullet holes from a shoot-out in the 1870’s. The most famous thing to ever happen in Lake City? A cannibalism incident.
Me about to summit one of Lake City’s 14,000’ peaks!Like Salida, Lake City boasts a whitewater park, a bike park, skate park, and game room. Children ride their bikes everywhere and I walk everywhere. The town park even hosts Zumba every morning at 9:00am. So it’s difficult to say when posed the question, "which town do I like better?” I can say that Lake City has gone OUT OF THEIR WAY to make me feel like a valued member of their community. Salida cares about their community and cares very much about their culture. But Lake City’s vibe is that it cares about each individual person and statistically speaking, this is no surprise.
As population increases, sense of community decreases.
A real life example is that in Salida, no one knew my name. In Lake City, people use my birth name as well as my nickname. And just in case we all need a friendly little reminder
When talking to someone, the most powerful word you can use is their name.
Historic downtown of Lake City looking toward Round Mountain. The library is on the left, soda shop on the right.So will I continue the search for land in the mountains with no neighbors in sight? Absolutely. The longer I look back, the farther into the future I can see. And in addition to my search for land, I’ll BOLO for a baby plot in small town Colorado. Where I’ve learned that it’s equally as much about the community as it is the terrain.
Until next time,
~Belay
