A five-exit town with one horse

We’ve established a daily ritual on the bookmobile tour: upon arriving to each town we find and follow the signs to the public library. This exercise is a good indicator for how the library fits into the community. Is it on the outskirts? Is it near the center of town? Are there clear signs indicating the way there? Are there signs? Depending on our answer, we can surmise what type of town we're entering.

library signs

But it’s more than just where the library is situated in the town, it’s also how the town is planned around it, or near it, or far away from it. We were in an area recently that appeared to have all the trappings of a small town, where the downtown flew past in a heartbeat. But something wasn’t quite right about our hypothesis: there was a veritable traffic jam at each stop sign, and from all accounts, this town wasn’t an enclave for tourism. Ever curious, we conducted some research—online and offline—and learned that we were staying in a town of over 10,000 that only appeared to be a one-horse town. The downtown was ghost-like, yet the metro area was sprawling and everyone drove; not a soul on the sidewalk and the crosswalks were barren. And the library? The parking lot was full of cars because few people lived near it or walked to it. Lucky for this community it turned out the library was an active spot, even though the town was not.

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