the locals issue, no. 2

LEAVE IT TO A KID, born and bred in Callicoon, to school me on the fine points of what it means upstate to be truly ‘local’: “There are different types of locals—the ones who have been here for generations, the ones who were born here but their parents were from somewhere else, the ones who moved here and have lived here most of their lives, and then there are the recent locals, the ones who have lived here for one or two decades…but they’re not really local.” So far so good, but then came the remark that got me: “The crazy thing is, they don’t like each other!” Why? We’re all here for the same reasons. It’s beautiful; it’s close enough to the city (if that matters); and it’s affordable. And yet, there seemed to be a distinct stratification of ‘localness’ in every town. Is it because we look different? Is it because we have different political views? Is it about money? Or simply, is it because we are averse to change?

Whether you’re a born and bred local or a recent transplant, what we have in common is that we just want to be acknowledged for who we are, what we do, and how we contribute to our community. That’s what this issue is about: getting to know and recognizing those who’ve spent decades here, those who have circled back to their place of birth, and those who are newer to discover the richness of rural living. We’re all motivated by the same desires to make this region a better place.

Nhi Mundy, Editor in Chief