Eureka...A Great Place??
Recently I came across the Livability Index which is an instrument developed by the AARP Public Policy Institute to help people compare places in the US based on seven factors such as transportation, opportunities, and affordable housing. Always game for things that require filling in blanks to get an answer, I typed in "Eureka, MT". The Livability Index gives our town 47 points out of 100.
It's not the highest score and someone looking for a place to move might not be impressed unless they took the initiative to investigate a bit more. But I suppose many people who already live here would quibble about the results in some of the categories and the total number of points our town was awarded. For example, for "Neighborhoods: access to life, work and play" Eureka was given a mere 31 points. Those of us who live here know that actually we have very good access, especially for life and play. Who could ask for anything better than going up to the Ten Lakes Wilderness Area to hike or canoeing down the Tobacco River? And the neighborhoods, whether in Eureka or in the surrounding areas, are places where people greet each other, attend potlucks and in general provide a positive place to live. So I would suggest that the Livability Index team reevaluate that one and give Eureka, MT at least 60 points for neighborhoods. The highest score the Index did award our town was in the category, "Engagement: civic and social involvement". Of course I had to agree that we deserve a high score in this one! Anyone who was downtown on April 18th for 'Spruce Up Eureka' knows our town has a great sense of civic involvement and ownership. Or look at the public meetings that are often well attended. High school sports, concerts, Missoula Children's Theater and the Cooperatives' annual meetings all demonstrate involvement by individuals of various ages and interests. I am sure most of us would agree that the Tobacco Valley is a very livable place whether the AARP Public Policy Institute recognizes it or not. Perhaps we should invite their team to visit Eureka one of these days?
About the Author: Rita Collins. I am a believer in the power of community and for now I call the Tobacco Valley home. I have lived in nine states and three counties and this community here amazes me - how people reach out to neighbors and even travelers. I've never lived in a place that demonstrates people caring for each other so well. And I've never lived in a place that has such a high percentage of talented musicians and artists. I work with the the Sunburst Community Service Foundation, a nonprofit that began in Eureka twenty years ago and now serves numerous communities in western Montana. And I just started a new business, St. Rita's Amazing Traveling Bookstore and Textual Apothecary. I never could have imagined life being this exciting in my sixth decade.
