[Vision2020]Who's most vocal? (was Zoning Law & Freewheeling Capitalism)

[joekc at adelphia.net]

Nice post, Ted!

My wife and I moved to Moscow about 10 years ago. I was born in New Jersey and fell in love with the west when I moved to Arizona for graduate school. So I am a transplant. But my wife was born in Boise. And her father was born in Nampa, as were his parents. And her mother was born in Emmett, as were her parents. And our son was born in Moscow. I am a transplant but my son is an Idaho native with a rich family history of many, many Idaho old-timers. Lots of them graduated from the University of Idaho and spent at least a few years living in this very town. Part of the reason that my wife and I chose to live here was because of that family heritage and part of my concern for Moscow's future is based on my concern for how it will be when my son -- a Moscow native with a rich Idaho heritage -- gets to be my age. Of course, none of this means that I am not a transplant -- You can take the boy out of Jersey but you cannot take Jersey out of the boy! But it does suggest that the line between transplant and old-timer is not so easy to draw.

Joe Campbell

---- Ted Moffett <starbliss at gmail.com> wrote: 
> Dan et. al.
> 
> How long does someone need to live in Moscow or the Palouse to be considered
> an "old timer," in your opinion?  I guess you think 20 years is not enough?
> Then is it 30, 40, 50 years?
> 
> Do you really think the "transplants" are chasing the "old timers" out of
> town?  That's a strong statement.  I think some accurate facts are needed to
> back that up.  I don't think many "transplants" would like this view of
> their impact.
> 
> It would be interesting to attempt to survey the "transplants" to really
> find out if they think development in the Moscow area is too much or OK.  I
> know people who are new to the area who think that those who complain about
> the increase in traffic, etc. to be laughable, when they compare Moscow to
> Boston, etc. It's a relative issue, I guess.  I can compare Moscow's current
> traffic to 1965 when I first walked the streets of this "little" town, and I
> personally don't like the increase in traffic, among other changes growth is
> bringing.
> 
> I like to joke with a friend of mine in Boise that I am going to move to
> Boise to escape all the traffic up here!  But really I am not totally
> joking.  I expect traffic and big development in Boise, but I have no
> reference point for how Boise was 50 years ago, or not a very personal
> heartfelt reference point.  But I do have such a reference point for Moscow.
> 
> "All Things Must Pass," as the late great George Harrison sang on his double
> solo album of the same title.
> 
> Ted Moffett
> 
> On 1/9/06, Area Man (Dan C) <areaman at moscow.com> wrote:
> >
> > Ted said:
> > "The growth in population will fuel an increasing mentality that does
> > not even know about or care about what is being lost, when people with
> > money move to the Palouse from much bigger uglier cities, who will think
> > that the older locals who complain about too much unmanaged or ugly
> > development compromising the quality of life, are so quaint."
> >
> > I have found that a lot of people who are most vocal against "unmanaged
> > or ugly development compromising the quality of life" are not older
> > locals, but transplants.  Yes, there are some  who are vocal that have
> > been here their entire lives, but most have not.  I'm not saying that
> > unmanaged development is good, I'm just expressing my opinion about who
> > is most vocal about it (or anything else, for that matter).  Part of
> > that reason is that the transplants are so vocal and good at making
> > changes that it is chasing the old timers out of town.
> >
> > Moving to town 20 years ago doesn't make you an old timer.  Definitely
> > not an old timer like that ol' fart John Weber.
> >
> > DC
> >
> > P.S.  I like John, it's just been a few months since the campaign, and
> > he probably misses me poking fun at him.  Although, since he is a
> > technophobe, he won't see this anyway.
> >
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