Near and Far

I am intrigued by the way in which one's geographic surroundings shape one's perceptions of distance and community. Let me explain.

When I was in Western Pennsylvania, I noticed that people had a very small radius of places that they considered to be nearby and easily accessible. I asked if there was a coffee shop with Free WiFi and they said "not around here." Then I found out there was one in the next town. It was a 10 minute drive, but not considered to be "around here". As I got to know them, I found that the people and places of each town had a distinct sense of community. Traveling 10 minutes to the next town actually felt like traveling to an entirely different place. It had a different energy about it.

I noticed this small radius in West Virginia as well. If someone did not live in their "holler" (canyon between two mountains) they did not live nearby. They were separated from the next holler by a tall mountain yet it was less than a mile away as the crow flies.

In New York City, there are not tall mountains but there are tall buildings, which mean a dense population. A distance of only a few blocks brings you into a different neighborhood, where you may be surrounded by people speaking an entirely different language (and have access to a string of great restaurants reflecting their culture!). If someone lives a few miles away from Manhattan in Brooklyn or Queens or (gasp!) New Jersey, they are "far away."

My parent grew up among the mountains of Pittsburgh, so imagine their surprise when we moved to Fargo, ND and my first game as a cheerleader was three hours away in Bismarck. On the plains, everything is spread out, and people think very little of traveling great distances by car.

Geography is powerful. It affects our idea of the people with whom we live in community. When tall mountains or buildings or other structures cut us off from what is going on in the next town or holler or neighborhood, each area develops its own sense of community and develops slight nuances in culture. When we live in wide open spaces, we extend our sense of community much farther.

Just some early musings on the interaction of geography and one's sense of community. What do you think?