Dear HCN,
A very heartfelt essay by
George Sibley (HCN, 3/18/02: How I lost my town). Unfortunately,
Colorado is not the only place in the West which is suffering this
plight. Before moving to Reno 12 years ago, I was a resident of
Truckee, Calif., 30 miles “up valley” to the west. The former
railroad/mill town has been transformed into just another quaint
little resort town with its pricey clothing boutiques, gourmet
restaurants and high-priced real estate.
The
sense of place has not been destroyed in this town, it has simply
been altered – some would say “twisted.” For better or worse, this
is happening throughout the West as the sawmills and mines shut
down, and the golf courses and real estate developers move in.
These changes take some getting used to, but in the end are a
better deal for all concerned. True, you may have to commute from
“down valley” or work two jobs to afford to live in town, but you
have the satisfaction of breathing clean air and drinking clean
water while you recreate in the surrounding public
lands.
Everything comes with a price in our
money-oriented society, and sometimes our sense of place is just
another commodity to be bought and
sold.
Tim Holmen
Reno, Nevada
This article appeared in the print edition of the magazine with the headline ‘Sense of place’ bought and sold.
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