The article defines "enlightened towns" as "communites that ... are dealing
creatively with the challenges they face, places that can provide inspiration
and practical ideas about how to improve life in your own hometown. ... The
cities are all rich in what Harvar political scientist Robert Putnam calls
'social capital' a strong strain of civic involvement that a town constantly
draws on to ensure its vitality."
Ithaca, New York, is number 1. The rest of the list:
2. Portland, OR
3. Durham, NC
4. Burlington, VT
5. Madison, WI
6. Aracta, CA
7. Portland, ME
8. Iowa City, IA
9. Providence, RI
10. Chatanooga, TN
There's also an honorable mention lsit with towns in every state:
* for Idaho, Utne picks Boise "friendly, walkable, green city, where bald eagles
can sometimes be spotted within the city limits."
* for Montana, Missoula (number 11 on the national list) "The progressive New
Party is just shy of a majority on the city council. Former mayor Daniel Kemmis
is an Utne visionary."
* for Washington, Seattle, "smug, but with some justification."
I haven't checked, but the full text of the article is probably on the
magazine's web page, www.utne.com
Has anyone on the 2020 list lived in any of the top 10 cities? (I know Steve
Cooke is familiar with Burlington and many of us know Portland.) I'd be
interested in responses to Utne's list.
--Kenton
Kenton Bird
Department of Journalism
and Technical Communication
Colorado State University
Fort Collins, CO 80523-1785
Phone: (970) 491-5986 Fax: (970) 491-2908
e-mail: KBird@vines.ColoState.edu