Wednesday, June 22, 2022

Dear NPR, Relatively speaking, Oconto Wisconsin is not a 'tiny town'. Best, Retiring Guy

 

A photo of Oconto Lanes, now known as The Good Place but still offering bowling, is included with the article.  But without any accompanying explanation in the text of the article.

Population:  Wikipedia (and election results below)
HeadlineNPR, 6/21/21022

Of the nearly 800 cities and villages on this list, Oconto ranks #155.

Gary, South Dakota, is indeed a tiny town. 

In the face of this, Jon and Zach's project has picked up on a trend: there aren't many new buildings in the smallest towns. Instead, the old ones find a new purpose. 
Take Rob's Locker and Catering in Gary, South Dakota — population 297 (give or take). This, in Jon's estimation, is a sign of something that rural America can teach the cities. 
"So many of the images that are propagated from rural parts of the country focus on decay or on destruction or abandonment, and we're very interested in the ways that buildings, in particular, continue to serve and continue to be adapted in ways that meet the needs of communities," he said. 
"I think we can actually learn some lessons ... the stories that our photographs tell are stories of adaptive reuse."

Tiny towns in much of rural America -- it's certainly the case in Wisconsin -- tend to be overwhelmingly white.

Source:  U.S. Census Bureau QuickFacts

And they eagerly embraced Trump's MAGA message.



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