Maybe the country mice go to the city (10/05/07)

Maybe next time, they'll try Bearcreek Farms.

That's our conclusion after reading a press release announcing the second annual Indiana Rural Summit to be held next month in - you guessed it - downtown Indianapolis.

The idea of the summit makes some sense.

Rural communities such as ours are facing enormous challenges these days. There's a brain drain of talented young people. There's concern about maintaining economically viable retail sectors. And there are a host of other unsettling issues in these early years of the 21st century.

A good discussion of how to attract investments in new technology, how to maintain a sense of community in the face of "virtual" alternatives, and how to create meaningful growth without sacrificing rural character would be lively.

So, why have that discussion in Indianapolis?

After all, many folks who think about rural issues will tell you that Indy is a big part of the problem, sucking life out of the other parts of the state.

Years ago, a state legislator pointed out that the big divisions in the Indiana General Assembly aren't those between political parties, they're the ones between rural perspectives and urban perspectives.

That was true then, and it's even truer today.

Lawmakers from places like Jay County and Adams County and Randolph County - regardless of their party - see things differently from their counterparts in Marion County. Whether it's tax policy or environmental policy or economic development, the perspectives are different.

And maybe the best way to appreciate that difference would be to discuss the challenges facing rural Indiana in - of all places - rural Indiana.

Getting the big city types to come to the country for a conference instead of the other way around might just make sense.

And Bearcreek Farms would be a great place to have it - J.R.[[In-content Ad]]