What Makes a Community a Great Place to Live?

December 10, 2007

It struck me as I was attending the dedication of the new clubhouse for the Boys and Girls Club of Redlands that this was the kind of amenity that keeps a community on the "Great Places to Live" list. A community that provides programs and locations for both children and adults to learn and grow is also a community that typically has more stable property values.

The dedication of the clubhouse was a great way to start a holiday season. Greeting the attendees were the youth members of the Boys and Girls Club. Playing music was the volunteer band called the Zanja 8 - teenagers from both of Redlands' High Schools. There was a county supervisor, city council members, many of the donors who had financially made this building happen, parents of the Boys and Girls club members and just folks such as myself who have followed the ups and downs of the club in its desire for a permanent location. It was the exemplification of a community working together for the benefit of all.

I know that there are many other projects in other communities of the Inland Empire that would be helped by a donation. I repeat my belief - support for projects that enhance the life of a community make those communities great places to live.