Many municipalities in northern Appalachia—which I consider to include Western Pennsylvania, much of Upstate New York, Western Maryland, Western Virginia, Eastern Kentucky, and pretty much all of West Virginia—look bigger than they are. If one drives past them on a freeway, the density of buildings that form a skyline makes them look quite large, but,
Despite some glum predictions on the long-term economic health of college towns, most of the ones that harbor flagship universities still look pretty vibrant, at least if Bozeman, home of Montana State University (largest university in the state), is any example. As recently as 1970, Bozeman was a fairly obscure town that hosted the state’s
Though my articles rarely reflect a hot-off-the-presses event, here’s another exception to that rule, which I feel compelled to publish now (instead of three months from now) because, I fear, waiting that long will cause its significance to fade from collective memory. The event to which I refer is obvious from the title: the demise
The building featured in this final elegy has probably served as the thumbnail photo more than any other structure, in my nearly sixteen years of writing for this blog. I’m talking about none other than Sanctuary on Penn, FKA First Lutheran Church, FKA Mount Pisgah. The late Gothic building, on the National Register of Historic
Wake Forest, North Carolina isn’t exactly obscure. But it’s better known as the name for a university than for the town that (formerly) called the school home. This might not be the case much longer. It’s the suburb immediately north of the capital to the Tarheel State, and while Raleigh itself has enjoyed tremendous growth
Every little bit of construction counts! And, in smaller municipalities, what might pass as no big deal instantly seems momentous. Case in point: the multifamily development in the photos below would seem unremarkable and barely worthy of mention in a city the size of, say, Indianapolis. (Or even the suburb of Greenwood just to the
The downtown of Wheeling, West Virginia is quiet on Christmas Day, as one might expect. Over the years, I’ve frequently passed through this battered but sturdy little city, wedged between the Ohio River and a hill that shares the city’s name. It has the architectural bones—and, thus, the appearance—of a city much larger than 27,000,
First Lutheran Church in the St. Joseph neighborhood of downtown Indianapolis is no more. It suffered catastrophic losses early in the morning of Christmas Eve due to a fire, and while the firefighting crew battled the blaze formidably, it was not able to prevent the roof from caving in, or most of the doors and
Seen a flick at a single-screen theater lately? Ever seen a movie at a single-screen theater at all? Odds are strong—for any American over the age of 35 who grew up an urban cluster (basically any community over 5,000 people, per the Census’s revised definition—the answer is probably “no”. Some very remote small towns have
Durham, North Carolina: as is often the case, a railway bisects the downtown. It became a viral video feature long before it became a commodity. And, somewhere along the way, it achieved something akin to meme status—though I’ll admit that I am stretching the definition of meme pretty generously to get there. Oh well. I’ve
Many municipalities in northern Appalachia—which I consider to include Western Pennsylvania, much of Upstate New York, Western Maryland, Western Virginia, Eastern Kentucky, and pretty much all of West Virginia—look bigger than they are.
Despite some glum predictions on the long-term economic health of college towns, most of the ones that harbor flagship universities still look pretty vibrant, at least if Bozeman, home of Montana State University
Though my articles rarely reflect a hot-off-the-presses event, here’s another exception to that rule, which I feel compelled to publish now (instead of three months from now) because, I fear, waiting that long
The building featured in this final elegy has probably served as the thumbnail photo more than any other structure, in my nearly sixteen years of writing for this blog. I’m talking about none
Wake Forest, North Carolina isn’t exactly obscure. But it’s better known as the name for a university than for the town that (formerly) called the school home. This might not be the case
Every little bit of construction counts! And, in smaller municipalities, what might pass as no big deal instantly seems momentous. Case in point: the multifamily development in the photos below would seem unremarkable
The downtown of Wheeling, West Virginia is quiet on Christmas Day, as one might expect. Over the years, I’ve frequently passed through this battered but sturdy little city, wedged between the Ohio River
First Lutheran Church in the St. Joseph neighborhood of downtown Indianapolis is no more. It suffered catastrophic losses early in the morning of Christmas Eve due to a fire, and while the firefighting
Seen a flick at a single-screen theater lately? Ever seen a movie at a single-screen theater at all? Odds are strong—for any American over the age of 35 who grew up an urban
Durham, North Carolina: as is often the case, a railway bisects the downtown. It became a viral video feature long before it became a commodity. And, somewhere along the way, it achieved something