Community Almanac

Golden is a small town with history, beautiful aesthetics, and abundant opportunities for enjoying nature. More than that, it is a home and a community where people connect with one another ... at the grocery store, on the streets of downtown, in planning a community garden.

Years ago, I glimpsed those words at the top of a flyer in the entry to the Tattered Cover. Why yes, I was seeking community. I grew up in a small town, craved the sense of connection where I know my neighbors. I enjoyed some of the benefits of living in a more urban area, but missed the feeling of community.

Turns out the flyer lead me into a new kind of housing development called "cohousing," where people plan their neighborhood to recreate the best features of a small town. I was one of the core group who ended up purchasing land and building such a neighborhood in Golden in 1996. Our neighborhood includes 27 households with about 40 adults and 20 children. Everyone knows my name along with my peculiarities, and if I were to get sick in the middle of the night any one of my neighbors would be happy to take me to the hospital. When I was elected to be a national delegate to the Democratic National Convention and found out what my expenses would be, my neighbors had a fundraiser to pay my way.

Beyond the community of my neighborhood is the community of Golden. Because we are a small town, the grocery store clerks recognize me and sympathize with me over the loss of a beloved pet. The coffee shop knows how I like my chai. I walk into the bookstore and meet three people whom I "need" to chat with about meetings, projects, etc. There is a feeling of familiarity and belonging to "this place."

Aesthetically, I love Golden. The foothills are close and comforting. The history is deep and colorful. We have an abundance of hiking and biking trails within minutes. Clear Creek comes down from the mountains and flows through the middle of town. We have big old cottonwoods, horses in pasture, Table Mesa on one side with Lookout Mountain on the other, coyotes yipping in the night, and even a little bear wandering through now and then. 

We have our own little valley here, our own identity. We care about our town and about each other. We work through our differences together, because we are neighbors and that's what you do.

This is my home, and I care deeply about ALL the folks who live here. I think that's what "community" means. I guess you could say I found what I was looking for when that flyer caught my eye in the Tattered Cover.