Believing in America Again

In these depressing days of the 21st century I was surprised to read some good news about this country. James Fallows and his wife, Deborah, over the past three years have spent a fair amount of time visiting smaller cities and towns across the country such as Duluth, Minnesota; San Bernadino, California; Sioux Falls, South Dakota; Greenville, South Carolina; Burlington, Vermont; Louisville, Kentucky; Bend, Oregon; Davis, California; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; and Columbus, Ohio. They learned a lot about this country and have summarized their thoughts in an article in The Atlantic, "How America Is Putting Itself Back Together". It is truly a worthwhile read. 

He thinks that these are signs that a city will succeed:

Divisive national politics seems a distant concern.

You can pick out the local patriots.

"Public-private partnerships" are real.

People know the civic story.

They have a downtown.

They are near a research university.

They have, and care about, a community college.

They have unusual schools.

They make themselves open.

They have big plans.

They have craft breweries.