Why Smaller Cities Matter

Smaller cities—shall we say they’re my destiny?

My life resume, after all, includes Milwaukee, New Haven, St. Louis, Hartford, and Rochester (NY).

I married a girl who can claim Detroit, Williamson (WV), and Louisville—in addition to the St. Louis and Rochester where our lives intertwined.

I’ve made lifelong friends who grew up in Kansas City, Madison (WI), and Lincoln (NE), and thanks to family, I know way too much about Oklahoma City.

Granted, not all these places are exactly small.

By smaller cities, I refer not only to size but to reputation. It’s with regards to the latter that, as you know, I’m on a mission.

But why?

First and foremost is a simple desire to tell the truth. When covering smaller cities, large media outlets—concentrated in large metropolitan areas—may tell a truth but not the truth. There’s a big difference, and it’s an obligation to make sure decent places are not misrepresented.

The second reason is backed by cold, hard data. As I mention in the About This Series section of The Essence of Our Cities, metropolitan areas outside the top 30 in population account for close to half the country’s GDP. That means that “the middle of nowhere” is full of people doing something rather valuable—work.

Number three is perhaps humanitarian. Should the value of one’s life be judged solely based on the patch of land they choose to inhabit? In other words, human stories should not be ignored just because our unwritten class system makes it acceptable to do so.

The last reason is by far the most fun—the privilege of highlighting originality. While larger metro areas can get bogged down by groupthink and keeping up with the Joneses, smaller cities allow their residents to embrace a more creative path.

Not sure what I mean?

You have flyover country to thank for Elvis Presley, Michael Jackson, Prince, Bob Dylan, Johnny Cash, Stevie Wonder, Tracy Chapman, John Mellencamp, Madonna, Garth Brooks, Eminem, and countless others. The same spaces have also fostered the minds of Mark Twain, William Faulkner, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Harper Lee, Kurt Vonnegut, Toni Morrison, and Bill Bryson.

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Anyway, I guess this undertaking officially makes me the Dumptown Guy.

Or possibly Dr. Rusty?

Maybe I should call the project Mission Impossible.

Just don’t expect the obviously fated mission to end anytime soon.