This trip has had multiple goals since we set off from PA way back in June. Of course we wanted to see the country and meet some cool people, but we also wanted to see what life would be like in smaller towns. Now the phrase "small town" is quite relative, and can mean different things to different people. I would argue it could be used for tiny hamlets of 2,000 people, up to reasonably large mini cities of 100,000 plus folks. Cheyenne, WY is on the larger side of that scale, with about 65k residents. That said, it had struck a chord for Katie on her last visit, and she was eager to show it to me in person. Our rental house was close enough that we could walk into the downtown area, and we did just that for dinner and drinks.
After a brief respite at a Hispanic Festival, we walked around until we settled on a local bar. It was huge, with tons of "flair" on the wall. We ordered our first round, and got to chatting with the bartender. We somehow got onto the topic of real estate. Before he would proceed further with his thoughts on the local area, he had to ask where we're from. After we told him, he relaxed a bit, and went on with whatever he was saying. When we pressed him on this, he said he was reluctant to share his neighborhood recommendations with just anyone, as there were too many outsiders coming in from California and Texas, driving up local costs and crowding out Cheyenne-ians.
Thinking back on it, it was a bit of an odd experience. The bartender's gatekeeping was both surprising and kind of expected at the same time. I can understand one's desire to "keep a good thing going", as it were, but also, external growth adds to the vibrancy and overall culture of a growing city (not to mention possible patrons at his bar). How should cities best attempt to be open and accommodating to new residents, while not forcing out the folks who have been there for years? How can small midwest cities best handle the influx of formerly-coastal residents looking for (relatively) cheap land and (relatively) simpler lives? Is it even possible for a small city to advance in the 21st century while still maintaining some semblance of small town charm?
It's going to take at least another round to be able to answer all these questions.
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