Communities with a “Sense of Place”

We’ve all seen it – town after town where it’s hard to differentiate one from the other. The stores are the same, the restaurants are the same and if you were blindfolded and taken to one of them, it would be difficult for you to tell where you were – to find characteristics that define that individual community and set it apart from all the others. But I know those gems are out there – in fact, my theory is that communities that have retained their sense of place are more prevalent than we think. They still have locally-owned shops and restaurants and they don’t look or feel like everywhere else. Here’s your challenge: Look around – what are the communities near you or that you’ve visited that have tenaciously hung onto their identity?

I’ll start with Butte, MT.  We were there this weekend for the 72nd National Folk Festival. All of the stages were in uptown Butte, scattered throughout the historic architecture, abandoned storefronts, quaint shops, independent restaurants, and (since this IS Butte) dozens of bars.

Uptown is aptly named – UP atop the “richest hill on Earth” – where gold, silver and massive quantities of copper were mined during the 19th and much of the 20th centuries.

Butte’s Uptown gets my vote as a destination that has solidly preserved its sense of place. Where else can you walk past a mine headframe on your way to have dinner or shop? Incorporating their heritage into the festival is evidenced by the setting at the “Original” stage.

Now that their three-year reign as home to the National Folk Festival is over, Butte is building upon their success and will launch a Montana Folk Festival next year to start a new tradition.  Same amazing setting, same outstanding volunteers, same determined and inspiring community spirit.

Where are the places you’ve been that exhibit a similar devotion to maintaining their “sense of place”? Let’s work together to share, discover and celebrate these communities!