5 Reasons I Love My City

I’ve lived in Rancho Cordova a total of 20 years although not consecutively. Of course I’ve seen a lot of changes. Rancho Cordova celebrated her first day of cityhood on July 1, 2003. I’ve seen empty spaces filled with buildings, trees torn down (due to disease and city growth), and once quiet streets overcrowded with traffic jams.

I’ve also seen people caring for people here. Project 680 gathers supplies (like hoodies, shoes, and socks) for homeless children. Several churches combine forces to cook and serve dinner once a month to those that need a meal. These are just two examples of philanthropic groups that meet the needs of Rancho’s citizens.

I hear a lot of people dogging on my city. But I love living here. Let me tell you why!

1. Family, church, and job nearby. My sista and her family live 10 minutes away from me. Since I live close to them, it is easier to keep up with their lives in person. My Rancho Cordova church and job are also 10 minutes away from my Rancho apartment. I love this especially for the times I am running behind on time. Less pollution and less driving stress are also plusses.
2. Safety and diversity. I know there are places and times that I should avoid. But isn’t that true of any city? I appreciate that my city is a mix of races, ethnicities and religions. I don’t have to travel overseas to be exposed to different ideas and customs. I am a more well-rounded thinker because of this exposure.
3. Memories. I have lived here off and on since 1979 as a single, married, married with children, and as a divorced woman. I have laughed, had fun, cried, worked, and done ministry with a lot of folks in a lot of different venues. I have become a better person because of all these experiences while living here. I have Rancho memories too, I’ve seen it grow from a smallish town to a growing city. I do, however, miss the walnut trees that used to dot the Rancho landscape.
4. Disaster-free (pretty much). We are not devastated by most disasters like blizzards, tornadoes, tsunamis, hurricanes, floods, fires, wars, and childhood disease epidemics. We haven’t even had any high damage earthquakes here. To be honest though, it does get HOT in the Summer for a couple of months.
5. Well known. I know Rancho well enough to get where I want without getting lost. I also know when/how to avoid the traffic jams. I know where to shop. And I know where my friends and family live. Not only do I know Rancho, I am known here too, by shop keepers and residents. I love going into a store and running into folks I know. It gives me that “Cheers” feeling.

This is the 2nd post in the “5 Reasons I Love . . .”  Series. Go here for the original post which explains how this idea came about. Tomorrow’s post is 5 Reasons I Love My State (Feb 17).

Your turn  . . .  Why do you love your city (or town)?

Click here for the complete list of posts in this series (scroll to bottom of the page).