August 4, 2005
Cook, Minnesota
The small town of Cook, MN is certainly not unlike the countless small towns scattered around the country.
I would think that Cook has many qualities in common with other rural communities. It probably has just as many unique qualities. The discussion of why we live in towns like Cook is timeless and ongoing. But I believe most people live in a place like this by choice. I do. Larger cities and towns may offer countless enticing opportunities but a small town can have many intangible benefits.
And sometimes, unfortunately, it’s a tragic event or accident that reminds us of many of these unseen qualities.
Calvin Coolidge, in his autobiography, described rural living simply with these words: “Country life does not always have breadth, but it has depth.”
In the past week many of the fine folks of this town have come to realize the depth of this community. I know I have.
And it is all I need to love living here.
Read this 1933 article by writer Bess Streeter Aldrich, entitled Why I Live in a Small Town”.