I touched on this subject a couple of years ago, but based on some things I’ve heard lately, I felt led to do it again.
It’s obvious to anyone who has lived in Houston and the surrounding area for an extended period that there are a lot of new faces showing up. Evidence of that is clearly visible simply by setting foot inside Walmart or Cozumel, and more can easily be found by checking online real estate listings where a significant percentage of homes are tagged as sold or pending.
Given the state of, well, pretty much everything in U.S. cities these days (and the general state of urban settings around the world), it’s hard to blame anyone for wishing to move to a place like the Missouri Ozarks, or more specifically Texas County. We who reside in these parts simply don’t have to deal with much of the nonsense that goes on in heavily populated areas, and there are obviously plenty of folks who are doing what they can to escape that stuff.
But with such interstate migration comes some negative possibilities, because not every former city dweller really wants to leave the whole city behind. In other words, some people might come to a place like this hoping to replicate circumstances they became accustomed to in the city rather than readily accepting how things are in their new rural surroundings.
It’s relevant to point out that know exactly what this subject is all about, because my family and I are former city dwellers who became disillusioned with it and decided to adopt the small town lifestyle. But when we did, our heart-felt desire was to immerse ourselves in a new way of life and sincerely become members of our new community, rather than attempting to bring something “better” with us.
To be sure, with so many new people arriving in a place like Texas County, there are bound to be some growing pains. But those pains can and should be limited to unavoidable factors like slightly bigger crowds in restaurants and a few extra carts in the grocery aisles.
To put it bluntly – but respectfully – to our beloved newcomers from the city: Please leave the intellectual baggage behind. Nothing here needs to be “fixed” and there’s no need for anyone or anything to “evolve” more quickly. And it’s not accurate to think people here “don’t know any better.” In fact, I would even argue that the opposite is true and that there’s a trade-off where a person consciously sacrifices certain things in order to benefit from others.
Here’s a short story about some people who seem to understand.
A nice couple walked into the Houston Herald office the other day and described how they moved here from Western Washington and intended to open a retail store. They talked about a desire to have their business become “community oriented,” and they didn’t say a word about wanting to change anything, but rather how they wanted to get away from the overly prevalent craziness on “the coast.”
That’s what I’m talking about: Enjoy what’s here and become part of it. We don’t need more civic this-and-that or more “information” to show us the “right” way to do stuff. And we know we have fewer “amenities” at our disposal, but that’s part of the trade-off and we’re OK with it.
Rest assured, I’m not accusing anyone of anything, and I’m not saying that “city folk need to stay in the city.” I’m just saying that there’s a fairly delicate balance that dictates the way life goes in the Ozarks and other rural areas of the U.S., and I think it’s a good idea to protect that balance.
Anyway, I can certainly relate to anyone who wishes to escape the madness of urban life and chooses the Ozarks (in particular Texas County) as a safe haven. Feeling that way in the depths of my soul is why I now call this place home, and to me, it’s all about assimilating and preserving, rather than influencing and domineering.
When my family and I came here, we wanted to be part of what already existed, not agents of change. My hope is simply that the folks who are flocking here now have a similar mentality – and leave their mental baggage behind.
Doug Davison is a writer, photographer and newsroom assistant for the Houston Herald. Email: ddavison@houstonherald.com.
