The End of the Journey
Arriving in Tucson, we felt the inklings of coming full circle with our American Futures project. Only one more leg of our journey, about 400 miles, before we reached our destination of…
Town: Redlands
38 posts
Deb Fallows at the University of Redlands
During our West Coast travels for American Futures reports in the winter of 2014-2015, my wife Deb and I were based at the University of Redlands, in southern California. From…
How America Is Putting Itself Back Together
Most people in the U.S. believe their country is going to hell. But they’re wrong. What a three-year journey by single-engine plane reveals about reinvention and renewal.
Welcome Our Newest National Monuments!
Often it seems that modern presidents can't do anything — except wage war. Here's a heartening exception.
A Library Writes Its Own Story
A California library becomes a living legend.
Why an F-16 Hit a Cessna, and Some More-Upbeat Updates
Sobering news from the NTSB, but encouraging news from Maine to California
The Long Stretch Home
The fourth day of a cross-country flight
A New Vocabulary for American Towns
Three 21st-century words that are driving the nation's most dynamic municipalities
Why Do Tech Companies End Up Where They Are?
"You get some clusters, and some stand-alone firms far from anyone else. But rarely anything in-between."
Ice Cream, Chocolate, Coffee, and Beer
Take ingredients and blend, for small-town synergy.
Luck? Planning? Karma? The Elements of a Small Town’s High-Tech Success
A software company grows in an unlikely setting. "Why here?" we ask the founders.
An American Dream: A YMCA with a Circus
For those of you who have always dreamed of running off to join the circus, here is a close second: move to Redlands, California, and join the YMCA. Not only…
On the Character of a Community: What Local Narratives Emphasize, and Leave Out
The role of universities, and our un-loved public efforts.
A City’s Turning Points
The steps toward success, or failure, and why our understanding of them matters.
A School With a Sense of Place
We arrived at The Grove School in Redlands, California, just before their winter break, at about noon and right in time for lunch. The Grove School is a public charter…
From the Tree to the Table: The Journey of a Brave Little Orange
The surprising complexity behind even the simplest-seeming aspects of modern life.