A town needs to grow and change to survive, and often this can be a tricky thing. Often a town is settled for one particular reason and then, years later, finds it needs to learn a new trick in order to stay viable, which is inevitable. How this town goes about remaking itself says a lot about how industrious the town itself is, but it also serves as a reflection on us and our modern times.
Hoquiam, Washington is an interesting example of these changes. Originally a logging town, it continues to celebrate its heritage with an internationally known event called Loggers' Playday. And every fall there is a logging competition and parade to remind the people of the town how their hamlet came to be. But where some traditions are timeless, fundamental to the fabric of a town's culture, others have to be created anew.
Consider the city's waterfront. This stretch of city in downtown has been underused since its previous heyday in the 1980s. Now that some development has taken an interest in it, there's a possibility for it to become a much more colorful and vital part of the local community. It can't be all logging contests and lumber festivals, after all.
There's ample area on the waterfront for new amenities such as shopping and entertainment, features that make a town a good place to visit. Waterfront development has been a major boon for cities such as Baltimore and San Antonio. For those towns, like this one, this area becomes a natural place to congregate, to put in shops and dining opportunities. The river itself becomes a major draw, a natural feature that lends the downtown its own special beauty while giving people a place to have a drink.
There's another good reason to consider its development options. There's its bigger neighbor to the east, Aberdeen, with whom the town has a kind of rivalry. Bigger towns tend to get the better opportunities, often more money from the state, than the smaller town. Older siblings always get the new stuff while littler kids get the hand-me-downs. But so if the town thinks about what it wants to become and applies that vision in creating a lovely downtown waterfront, it can show that next-door neighbor how great a town can be.
A town's history is important, but so is its future direction. New ideas need to be embraced. Hoquiam, like many small towns, needs to be brave in embracing its possibilities for that future -- it can preserve its history even as it evolves. - 42634
Hoquiam, Washington is an interesting example of these changes. Originally a logging town, it continues to celebrate its heritage with an internationally known event called Loggers' Playday. And every fall there is a logging competition and parade to remind the people of the town how their hamlet came to be. But where some traditions are timeless, fundamental to the fabric of a town's culture, others have to be created anew.
Consider the city's waterfront. This stretch of city in downtown has been underused since its previous heyday in the 1980s. Now that some development has taken an interest in it, there's a possibility for it to become a much more colorful and vital part of the local community. It can't be all logging contests and lumber festivals, after all.
There's ample area on the waterfront for new amenities such as shopping and entertainment, features that make a town a good place to visit. Waterfront development has been a major boon for cities such as Baltimore and San Antonio. For those towns, like this one, this area becomes a natural place to congregate, to put in shops and dining opportunities. The river itself becomes a major draw, a natural feature that lends the downtown its own special beauty while giving people a place to have a drink.
There's another good reason to consider its development options. There's its bigger neighbor to the east, Aberdeen, with whom the town has a kind of rivalry. Bigger towns tend to get the better opportunities, often more money from the state, than the smaller town. Older siblings always get the new stuff while littler kids get the hand-me-downs. But so if the town thinks about what it wants to become and applies that vision in creating a lovely downtown waterfront, it can show that next-door neighbor how great a town can be.
A town's history is important, but so is its future direction. New ideas need to be embraced. Hoquiam, like many small towns, needs to be brave in embracing its possibilities for that future -- it can preserve its history even as it evolves. - 42634
No comments:
Post a Comment