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A smiling middle-aged white woman in a black jacket leans over the white porch railing of a blue house surrounded by shrubs and plants. On either side of her are hanging pots of colorful flowers. To the left of the house is a round patio table with furled umbrella and four chairs.

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Organizing

Neighbors: Faraway, So Close!

“Why does everyone in the country live out in the middle of nowhere? It’s so inefficient!” This was the reaction of a friend of ours, who hails from Europe, on […]

Communities

The End of the Rural “Suburb”?

I read a recent column that suggested getting rid of the word “suburb.” While there’s still a distinction between the central city and the outskirts, the author noted that many […]

Communities

Urban Over Here, Loss of Rural Freedom Over There

On the national level, the Tea Party has been viewed by some as a conservative movement concerned with rolling back changes over the past few decades for social and economic justice. On the […]

Communities

On Foot and Wheels, in Town and in the Country

Surprise! People in small towns like to walk and ride bicycles nearly as much as people in cities do. That’s the word from a report just released by the Rails to […]

Communities

Less Pasture, More Concrete in Rural Future?

“From concrete to pasture.” That’s how one might characterize my relocation a couple years ago from Boston to Central Virginia. Boston is a place where a carefully landscaped pocket park […]

Communities

High speed Internet – Hard to find in rural places

What’s it like not having access to high-speed Internet today? For anyone who is aware of high-speed Internet, not having it is essentially to not have the Internet at all. […]

Communities

At the Crossroads

On a map of the rural county where I live, there are many place names that identify crossroads, significant in that many cars pass through them each day. When I […]

Policy

Time to Address the Rural Housing Crisis

The next administration will face significant housing issues well beyond those related to foreclosures and mortgage markets. The housing needs of low-income people in both urban and rural places predated […]

Arts & Culture

Bluegrass, Rodeos, and Other Signs of a Living Community

This weekend the small community where I live had its annual heritage fair. This is when people get together to celebrate the traditional arts that have helped the community sustain […]

Organizing

Grantmaking Power to the People

Foundations that fund grassroots organizing are a rare breed, perhaps because organizing challenges a power structure that includes foundations themselves. A new foundation in the Southeast is taking aim at […]