What Makes a Great Town?

When I started this Only in Olney blog in 2010, I wanted to give our "townees" a platform to discuss topics meaningful to them for which our OBEX listserv wasn't the appropriate vehicle. I then decided that this blog would be a place of inspiration and giggles rather than a place for venting and complaining, if only to extend our lifespan.

I reached out to the community to find people of all shapes and sizes that were willing to be guest bloggers and share their everyday experiences in and around Olney (nod to the "Greater Olney Community") from their unique perspective. It's been a slow progress but as you can see from our blog archive, we currently have 9 bloggers who have posted a total of 136 blog posts.

The latest discussion on the OBEX is about whether Olney is a great town. So that got me thinking, 

What Makes a Great Town?

Certainly the people. I would surmise. But you'd have to add the amenities, the activities. Some might add the schools, green space, traffic, crime, diversity, services for specific populations.

As one OBEX poster noted, Olney is a community where:

• People hold doors open for moms with strollers.
• A wallet you leave at a checkout will still be there when you run back from the parking lot.
• Generations have performed in the same high school musical.
• Getting your house TP'd at least once is a given.

Perhaps that's a good enough definition of a great town. Perhaps not. Perhaps in 2016, because the world seems like a scary place, we are challenged with pushing that definition even further:

• Are we satisfied?
• Is it enough?
• What more are we capable of?

P.S. I'm always looking for more bloggers. Are you a teen, young adult, senior citizen? We Want You!! Don't be scared. Blogging is easy!