Independence is a small town of about 9,400 in southeastern Kansas, very near the Oklahoma border.  The town recently received significant fame for its Independence Public Library (pictured above courtesy of the Library's Facebook page), which was named the "Best Small" library in the country by Library Journal. Part of the reason for the prize was the library's hard journey…...

Decorah is a small town with a strong Norwegian heritage in northeastern Iowa, not too far from the Minnesota border. The population was 8,109 in 2012.   The town has been the home of Luther College since 1861. Decorah celebrates it Norwegian heritage with its architecture and its annual Norwegian festival - the Nordic Fest each July. Decorah is  also the…...

Huntersville, with a 2020 population of 61,376, is located in the Charlotte, Noth Carolina, metropolitan area, and about 15 miles north of the city.  Huntersville is know as a lake community because of nearby Lake Norman that provides boating and outdoor recreation. The town boasts over 30 cultural and historic landmarks dating back to the 1700 and 1800's. Joe Gibbs…...

The City of Palm Coast is an enormous planned community of approximately 90,000 residents (2020), located on Florida’s northeast coast, equidistant from the large cities of Jacksonville and Orlando. Many of its residents are active adults using it as a retirement community. Palm Coast is one of the more interesting hybrid communities in existence. Planned originally by ITT as a…...