The town is entering a revival, encouraging people to move into abandoned buildings and houses downtown and bring back the community feel. Sitting outside my school, I take in the ancient mounds of the Caddo Indians who once lived here, the statuesque Old University Building, colorful gables on century-old homes, and a European cottage plopped in this East Texas town.
I leave my apartment, looking across rolling hilltops capped with varied trees hiding roof-tops with steeples and water towers poking above the arbors. Driving past the university, I observe the botanical gardens with azaleas and other beautiful plants flowering in season. Even the people, an eclectic group of country folk, proper southerners with old money, Hispanic-, African- and Native-Americans, and a conglomerate of people drawn to the university speak to the town's diversity.
Some consider Nacogdoches a backward town, weighed down by old people who do not want change and an economy that lags behind our neighbors. We have our share of low-paying jobs and few opportunities for advancement, like you see in larger towns and the cities. The university, hospitals, and the schools pay better than other places around here. But we're doing pretty good. We may not have a thriving metropolis, but we have character. That's what makes Nacogdoches unique.
If you're ever in my town, stop by the Convention Visitor's Bureau downtown to find out about Nacogdoches' interesting history and the sites nestled around the community. Visit the stores downtown (but not on a Monday, almost everybody's closed); I recommend The Glass House, The Good Book, House of Versailles, Heart of Texas, and Lyric's. Get a snack at a local shoppe. Take in some art in our galleries. Then get in your car and ride around town, seeing and enjoying the sites that make this town fun. Maybe then you'll see why this old Texas town inspires me.
1 comment:
Been there, done that, loved it. I totally get it. The Nacogdoches Visitors Bureau needs to link to your blog!
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