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Forum » Retro Places » Your Home Town
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Ray Charles was born in my hometown of Albany, Georgia.
"Magic can happen to you."
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I grew up in Morristown, NJ, a town with many locations that were key in the Revolutionary War. It was also home to Thomas Nast (creator of our current image of Santa Claus) for many years. When I was growing up there were very few big chains there. There are some more now, but so far it continues to retain a lot of unique flavor and it's a very walkable place. Lots of beautiful houses and cool old buildings, and very diverse racially and economically.
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Well, my "home town" is not easy to pinpoint. I have lived in a few "towns" but all in the same general area, and no more than 15 minutes apart from one another. But, most of my impressionable growing up years were spent in an area called Chester, Ohio (home of Ohio's oldest standing court house). Though, it was outside of the actual "town" of Chester, in an addition of several homes. At the bottom of the hill, where the addition ended, and where the school bus would pick us all up, was a skating rink. We spent many, many nights at that skating rink. I even had a crush on an older girl who worked the counter there. I would occasionally ask her to "couple skate" with me and she would oblige. She was very kind. Around 1996 or 1997 I moved back to the small town of Rutland. I spent the first 4 years of my life living here. It is the town that my family's business is located in. So, I would say that, more than another other, is probably best considered my "home town". Rutland has a population of about 400 to 500 people. Very, VERY tiny. Yet, we have two pizza joints, our family business, several churches, a candle shop, a department store (that has been there since the 1850')... View Larger Map ...a civic center (an old school gymnasium), a park for children, two baseball fields, a post office, a tire shop, a feed and supply store, and of course, several homes. It's old, run down, and not much to look at, but it's something. Rutland has two claims to fame, 1 of which is a positive, the other a negative (in my eyes). On the positive side, Brewster Higley, the writer of "Home on the Range" was born here. On the negative side, there is Skatopia. Uhg. It doesn't even deserve a description here, hence the link. Well, that and the fire dept. volunteers make a pretty locally famous roast beef sandwich that gets sold during all the local festivals (county fair, 4th of July festival, music festivals and so forth). The county, in which all my places of residence throughout life exist, has a few other interesting people, sites, etc.  There is Jorma Kaukonen's Fur Peace Ranch. A place where musicians of all kinds come. There is a guitar camp, and other activities. Jorma was a founding member of Jefferson Airplane (which later became Jefferson Starship).  Then there is Buffington Island, the only major Civil War battle in Ohio took place there, where a memorial park now resides.  Mike Bartrum was a former NFL longsnapper and now serves as one of our County Commissioners. You love this signature.
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I don't have a precise hometown either. I've lived all over the San Gabriel Valley in the suburbs of Los Angeles. I just consider Los Angeles my hometown I've never moved from the area.
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Rutland sounds like a nice little community. Nothing wrong with rundown, although hopefully stuff isn't falling apart, because then it wouldn't last. But that's a lot of stuff for such a small town, and apparently there's enough business to support keeping places open. And hopefully no heinous big box stores to draw people away. It sounds like nice old-fashioned living, is what I'm getting at.
I don't skate but I think it's cool, so Skatopia seems OK to me. But if it attracts bad behavior, I get ya. |
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pikachulover wrote : I remember you saying once that you lived in L.A. Did you meet any stars? "Magic can happen to you."
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Using the "street view" that's embedded to view the department store, you can turn to view the other side of the street and you'll see one of the two pizza shops, "Foxes", which I mentioned in that "Hot and Cold Pizza" thread.
EDIT: Oh yeah, I forgot to mention the Funeral Home in Rutland. LOL Because even people here die eventually. shakin steak wrote : The closest "big box store" is Wal-Mart, which is about 10-15 minutes away, across the Ohio River. My office down the street, where I am sitting this very moment (albeit in much fouler weather than that pictured here,  ) You love this signature.
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I have no idea what it's really like, but on street view that place looks charming as heck.
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Don't get me wrong. I wouldn't trade it for anything. But most places could use a little structural attention and a coat of paint. lol
You love this signature.
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Woah! I didnt know you could do that with Google Maps! I'm going to find my old house.
Edit - Where do you get the link for a place in street view? insert Chuck Norris meme here
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