News

“No one succeeds by trying to be the next Silicon Valley. That was the message of author, journalist and civic advocate James Fallows to a gathering of Pensacola community leaders…

In his October 2, 2018 column, Justin Fox discusses why Sioux Falls, SD, despite not following any traditional recipe for civic success, is booming. Its metro-area population has increased 13.5…

“What we saw while crossing the continent during these years was reassuring and complex and evanescent…” writes James Fallows. The reviewer ends, “It’s enough to revive civic energy.”

In Arkansas Business, the veteran newspaper reporter and editor Kyle Massey has a preview of an Our Towns-related event in Little Rock on September 27. Sample: For his 12th book, the…

The Leader-Telegram, in Eau Claire, Wisconsin, has a preview article about a visit by Deb and Jim Fallows on the weekend of September 22-23. The weekend’s events will include the…

John Christensen, editor of Fort Wayne Magazine, has a review in the Journal Gazette. Sample: “Fort Wayne has a bright future, as well as our fair share of challenges, shortcomings and…

In the book review section of this past weekend’s Washington Post, Thomas Carothers, of the Carnegie Endowment, discussed America: The Farewell Tour by Chris Hedges.  Carothers says of Hedges’s new book:…

In the River Falls Journal, from Wisconsin, Sue Bridwell Beckham argues that this town should be considered one of “Our Towns,” mainly because of its location, its parks, its theater, it emphasis on…

“Fallows said however divided our nation seems nationally, on smaller scales communities are coming together to rebuild their downtowns, improve their school systems, invest in public art and conquer everyday…

“In the knowledge economy, talent flows from places with limited opportunities to coastal magnets with leading research universities. Traveling in the opposite direction, the authors found ‘nearly everywhere we went…

“In 2013, Deborah and James Fallows launched a project to counter what the latter describes as the “big-city-centrism” of most media coverage, and they did it in a delightfully old-fashioned manner—by crisscrossing…

“Their view of the country is as complex and contradictory as America itself, but it also reflects the energy, the generosity and compassion, the dreams, and the determination of many…

“The book portrays communities across the country which are succeeding in their efforts to build and revitalize. Dodge City is portrayed extensively with other Kansas towns also mentioned. Frequently noted…