My love for the mountains began in the mid 70’s while staying in the small town of Salisbury, Vermont and hiking the trails of Mount Moosalamoo. From then on, I have always found something special about all of the mountain towns that I have visited throughout the years. They all have their own unique personalities and mountain ranges … filled with locals who obviously love being there (isn’t it often the people that make the town so special?).
New West is an excellent resource for learning more about what is going on in and around the Rocky Mountain West. Based in Missoula, Montana they cover everything from yoga to politics throughout the region. Today’s What Makes Whitefish Special is a great article about Whitefish, Montana.
A few excerpts …
One thing you don’t see is the attitude of the people living here, but you can feel it, and it’s definitely one thing that makes the town special. At least that’s what mayor Cris Coughlin believes.
“A lot of what keeps Whitefish special is the high level of community involvement,” she is quick to say. “We have real people, and I think that makes a big difference.”
Having an engaged citizenry might be the key to keeping any place special, and it appears to be working in Whitefish, especially when combined inherit physical beauty.
Monday, November 5th there will be a follow up article about what city leaders in Whitefish, Montana have done to keep their mountain town special.
… looking forward to reading it!
After all this talk about keeping your mountain town special and saving its soul, I just came across, We don’t want to be like you in the Aspen Times. Aspen may have its problems, but the truth is that beyond all the glitz, there are some really great people there and it is still one of the most beautiful areas that I have ever been to.
Interestingly, one of the people who used to own and write for a local paper here, got tired of Summit County and moved to Silver City. I wonder if he is the one who wrote the article the Aspen writer quoted. It is entirely possible! Many people want things to stay as they once were, but it is no longer possible. The population is growing and they all want to be in beautiful places, so we are feeling pressure in all our mountain towns. The people are the town, and the scenery is not, but our scenery is easily spoiled and it is important to keep it as pristine as we can.
I have seen this happen in many places … not just mountain towns. A lot of times people spend so much time fighting change and growth when the focus really needs to be more on managing it. Change is going to happen whether we like it or not.