High Country News -- September 04, 1995 (Vol. 27, No. 16)
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Grow up, dig in, and take root
Essay by Stephen J. Lyons
Outside magazine recently picked six or seven towns - mostly in the West - as
great places to live. But those seduced into pulling up stakes by the glossy
photos and idyllic promises in July's cover story should first consider a few
facts.
Here are three days' worth of headlines from the Spokesman-Review, the
newspaper of record in Spokane, Wash., one of Outside's dream towns: June 25:
"Meth use sparks crime wave." June 26: "House near Manito sprayed with
bullets." June 27: "Police call targeted teen Crips member."
Outside never mentions the Crips and the Bloods creeping into Spokane from
California with their gifts of crack, pit bulls and guns. Guaranteed these boys
aren't up here for the "76 lakes within a 50-mile radius" or the nearby "Class
III-IV whitewater."
Nor does it mention the murder of 7-year-old Rachel Carver by her uncle, who
was awaiting arraignment on sex assault charges; the porno bars,
rent-by-the-hour motels and prostitutes that line the storefronts of East
Sprague Street; or the time a 16-year-old boy emptied a sawed-off shotgun into
a car with two occupants outside a Taco Bell while his friend shouted, "Shoot
someone!"
As for Idaho Falls, Idaho - another Outside pick - we never hear about the 260
tons of highly radioactive waste stored nearby. But the magazine does mention
that you can get a lattī and hear live music.
In short, Outside's dream towns aren't the Edens the magazine would have us
believe. For those who quote Outside like a new-age bible, they would be well
advised that if they pull up roots in San San, Costa Vallejo Mesa Cul-de-Sac,
or whatever community they flee, they better be prepared to roll up their
sleeves and make their new dream town a better place to live - not just a place
to dump their gear between river trips and power biking.
The entire premise of choosing one town over another is silly, and when it is
done in hurried, sound-bite journalism, it becomes irresponsible.
Outside tells us how to get there, but not how to stay.
Never is there a mention of local politics or community issues. Not one line of
type urging us to volunteer at a nursing home or to talk to the oldest resident
in town. The magazine neglects to tell us there is history and value within the
stories told at kitchen tables, bars and cafes, and a past etched in the
bleached gravestones that look down on the houses from the nearby hillsides in
Montana and Idaho towns like Bonner, Grangeville, Salmon and St. Ignatius.
Outside never says, "Approach slowly with humility and respect. Treat older
residents with the dignity they deserve. Learn some history. Don't tell anybody
what to do for at least five years. Leave your jet skis at home. Turn your
stereos off. Volunteer for everything."
Instead of quoting the average price of a home in these "dream towns,"
shouldn't magazine writers beg us to stay put, extend our roots deeper, learn
the native birds and plants and customs of our own communities, mark our
territory, make our own coffee, plant lilacs, build porches, and step lightly?
No longer is there any greener grass. There is only less of it. The problems of
Moab, Utah, are now the same problems of Moscow, Idaho; Pasco, Wash.; and every
other town of the West.
No matter what Outside promotes, the "cut and run" lifestyle of the modern 20th
century is no longer an option. We need people to make a long-term commitment
to stay through the best and the worst the West has to offer as we confront the
challenges ahead. It may mean fewer trips to the mountains and more nights
after work attending meetings. It will mean more volunteerism and expending
more emotional energy. It will not be easy.
But as the years pass we may also find we already live in a dream town, and it
is called home.
Stephen Lyons lives and writes in Moscow, Idaho.
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