The Extinction of Small-Town USA
On Friday I saw the new Pixar Film "Cars" and it brings up something I have mentioned a bit before: the extinction of small-town Americana. The film shows Lightning McQueen, an egotistical racecar who gets stuck in "Radiator Springs" a classic example of the Route 66 ghost towns you'll see if you get off I-40 and go exploring. I've done that drive about a half-dozen times, going back and forth to New Orleans from the Bay Area via the interstates and I always found it so sad to see these adorable little art-deco towns being completely abandoned. There are times when I find myself thinking that we've gone about it all wrong, wasting our resources and energy in building these giant metropolises when we could all be living in friendly little towns where everyone knows each other.
Radiator Springs has a police officer and a judge, but the only action they ever get is from wild visitors to their sleepy town. This parallels the small towns scattered across the American Southwest. The only time serious crime occurs in these little towns is either the result of tourists/transients or insanity. In a small town, everyone knows each other and are therefore less likely to commit any major infraction. Not only that, but they develop a personal relationship with everyone and it's a lot harder to victimize someone you know personally than a stranger. Now that's not to say that Small Town USA is perfect, as it is definitely not, but it's sad when you drive across the country and see all these ghost towns. Especially when the cities that are growing are places like Omaha, Oklahoma City, Phoenix and Albuquerque...not exactly beautiful centers of cultural enlightenment.
Tourism will be one of the most important post-modern industries. A city really does not need to produce anything other than something that makes people want to stop in their neighborhood. Las Vegas does not produce anything, but is one of America's fastest growing cities simply because it's become a major tourist destination. From those tourists, comes the money that brings in new residents, who in turn fuel the need to install supporting businesses to maintain that population base. The larger population base then is able to support a greater number of tourists, causing the economy to grow. This has been the strategy of Las Vegas for the past 50 years: "If you build it, they will come" with the hotels. Sure enough, despite the plethora of newly built mega-resorts, Vegas room occupancy has remained steady at around 89% a night (occupied rooms) for the past 8 years.
Radiator Springs gets revitalized (sorry if you haven't seen Cars yet, but if you don't figure out this is going to happen the moment you're introduced to the town, you're just not that bright) and becomes this darling little town with its 1950s style boulevard for cruising, eating, shopping and socializing. While the cities are seeing their cruising streets become outdoor shopping malls (see Burlingame Avenue, Garnet Avenue, even Haight Street), why not let small town USA re-emerge with their locally owned shops with high prices and unique products? Some of my favorite spots in this country that I've seen in all my travels (I've been to 46 of the 50 states) have been those random little towns with their 1 stoplight, abandoned diners and motels and tumbleweed pedestrians.
I've always wanted to live in an isolated spot without the stresses caused by the metropolitan lifestyle. Imagine never having to sit in traffic, never having to wait in line, and never having to lock your doors. Hell, you could probably even leave the keys in your car and have lunch and not even have to worry about it being stolen. Not only that, but I think it's a healthier place to raise a family and have deep relationships. Without the pressures and stresses of city life, life becomes simpler and more about the little things. Maybe it's idealistic, but I think that we'll be able to revitalize our forgotten Route 66 ghost towns into jewels of Middle America. So the next time you're on a road trip, try to stop off in a random town and avoid the main truck stops...maybe you might discover your own Radiator Springs tucked away in a little corner of the world.
Radiator Springs has a police officer and a judge, but the only action they ever get is from wild visitors to their sleepy town. This parallels the small towns scattered across the American Southwest. The only time serious crime occurs in these little towns is either the result of tourists/transients or insanity. In a small town, everyone knows each other and are therefore less likely to commit any major infraction. Not only that, but they develop a personal relationship with everyone and it's a lot harder to victimize someone you know personally than a stranger. Now that's not to say that Small Town USA is perfect, as it is definitely not, but it's sad when you drive across the country and see all these ghost towns. Especially when the cities that are growing are places like Omaha, Oklahoma City, Phoenix and Albuquerque...not exactly beautiful centers of cultural enlightenment.
Tourism will be one of the most important post-modern industries. A city really does not need to produce anything other than something that makes people want to stop in their neighborhood. Las Vegas does not produce anything, but is one of America's fastest growing cities simply because it's become a major tourist destination. From those tourists, comes the money that brings in new residents, who in turn fuel the need to install supporting businesses to maintain that population base. The larger population base then is able to support a greater number of tourists, causing the economy to grow. This has been the strategy of Las Vegas for the past 50 years: "If you build it, they will come" with the hotels. Sure enough, despite the plethora of newly built mega-resorts, Vegas room occupancy has remained steady at around 89% a night (occupied rooms) for the past 8 years.
Radiator Springs gets revitalized (sorry if you haven't seen Cars yet, but if you don't figure out this is going to happen the moment you're introduced to the town, you're just not that bright) and becomes this darling little town with its 1950s style boulevard for cruising, eating, shopping and socializing. While the cities are seeing their cruising streets become outdoor shopping malls (see Burlingame Avenue, Garnet Avenue, even Haight Street), why not let small town USA re-emerge with their locally owned shops with high prices and unique products? Some of my favorite spots in this country that I've seen in all my travels (I've been to 46 of the 50 states) have been those random little towns with their 1 stoplight, abandoned diners and motels and tumbleweed pedestrians.
I've always wanted to live in an isolated spot without the stresses caused by the metropolitan lifestyle. Imagine never having to sit in traffic, never having to wait in line, and never having to lock your doors. Hell, you could probably even leave the keys in your car and have lunch and not even have to worry about it being stolen. Not only that, but I think it's a healthier place to raise a family and have deep relationships. Without the pressures and stresses of city life, life becomes simpler and more about the little things. Maybe it's idealistic, but I think that we'll be able to revitalize our forgotten Route 66 ghost towns into jewels of Middle America. So the next time you're on a road trip, try to stop off in a random town and avoid the main truck stops...maybe you might discover your own Radiator Springs tucked away in a little corner of the world.
posted by Dan Pasternack at 3:41 PM
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