There is a strong consensus in Deer Park that everyone loves the small town feeling in our city. However, even if Deer Park does not grow, the small town feeling could be easily lost as everything around our town changes. By defining the qualities that make our community great we ensure that what we cherish will remain for our children in the future. Therefore, there needs to be an intentional plan that has our whole community in mind to protect what we value most.
Because there are many different qualities, I am breaking this up into a couple of different posts. Please subscribe to be notified when the next part is published. You can read all of my blogs online at https://richard.theschuts.com/blog-posts/
Familiar & Generational
Settlers Day is about celebrating the families that created Deer Park generations ago. Their legacy is all around us as many of their descendants still live in the area. Street names and landmarks honor their contributions. For many Deer Park has been home for multiple generations.
As a result, we often bump into family, long time friends and acquaintances at the grocery store or a local coffee shop.
The sense of losing this familiarity is jarring. When the land down the street that was undeveloped for years transforms from old-growth trees to a grocery store or a housing development, there is a sense of loss. Change can be disturbing, and maybe something people want to prevent.
To protect the familiar and ensure Deer Parks remains a multi-generational hometown there are things we need to do.
First, we need to protect historic landmarks in Deer Park. For example, Deer Park City Hall which was built in 1911 has a special place in many of the resident’s hearts. There is a lot of work that needs to be done to preserve it for future generations. To protect our landmarks it is critical to make sure they stay relevant to give them a new life, and purpose for the future.
Second, we need to make sure there is a place for our children to call home. Typically only one descendant can inherit the family home. For the additional siblings that you have grown up with to remain in Deer Park, they have to buy new homes.
Across the United States families typically have more than 2 children; in Deer Park and throughout Spokane County that average is much higher. Even if no one from outside of Deer Park moved here, the city would grow by more than 40 people every year. That is based on our current population and county birth rate trends.
Right now many Deer Park residents are getting priced out of their own hometown. They can’t buy or rent near loved ones. This generation is being forced to move away, in some cases a great distance. As a result, our older generations might not have a family in the area to care for them, in effect forcing even more familiar faces to move away.