Athens, Alabama

My town is not so big as to get lost in, not so small that you can't get an espresso at the book store or take an art class. I love my town. I love the way the old courthouse stands solidly in the middle of everything, unmoved by traffic that circles the square. I love the way the dogwood trees bloom around the courthouse in the spring and the way the city council strings up a million white lights in those same trees every Christmas.
My favorite clothing shops and furniture stores are here. No matter how far I drive or how many businesses I visit, I always come back to my town. I know by heart where my sizes are, when the real deals will be advertised, and how to "talk down" the owner when you just can't see giving full price for that mattress and springs.

I think the people here are the friendliest in the world. You can stand in line in any of the grocery stores and find out, from a complete strange, where they got a good deal on a sofa or what little league their child plays ball in. You can call any of the churches and find financial help or get food and clothes to help you over the rough times. You can live like a king behind fancy iron gates or in apartments subsidized by the city. We are diverse, interesting, and caring folks that take time out to give door-to-door salesmen bottles of water or cans of cola. Whatever our skin color or religious preference, we're part of a place. That's my town.
It doesn't get to hot or too cold in my town. We rarely have snow. When temperatures dip below freezing, they don't stay long. Spring and fall can be a little wet, but it's worth it when the oaks and maples change into gold or the daffodils burst open. Summers can be steamy, but not too steamy to fish, swim, or boat on the Tennessee or the Elk.

And then there's the food. We have wonderful things call "Dub's Burgers" and "Whitt's BBQ" that can send your cholesterol off the scale but who cares? You'll die happy. There's the catfish restaurants that are each unique in their own way and boast Cajun spiced dishes or Greek salads. Yes, we have the standard eating places found everywhere across America, but it is these home grown places that make the difference.

If I had complaints, one would be that the pollen count is high here almost any time. This is true because of the profusion of blooming trees and plants, which are beautiful; they just make it hard to breath sometimes. If you have allergies, bring your drugs when you come to visit. The other thing is the number of people moving into my town. It grows bigger and bigger day by day, spreading out into the countryside. More and more of our cotton fields and woodlands are disappearing under the waves of subdivisions. Not that I blame anyone for moving here, I just miss the long stretches of empty lands mixed with the low lying wetlands and timberlands. They're still there, but at the rate the town is growing, they may not be for long.

We're thirty minutes away from Huntsville, Alabama, an hour and a half away from Birmingham, and two hours from Nashville or Chattanooga or Memphis, all bigger cities with big city things to see and do. Good to go - good to get back - at least that's the way we feel in my town.

My town is Athens, Alabama, and I think it is the best place on Earth.

Nancy S

Submitted: Monday 29th March 2004, 4:31 PM

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