I live in Yellow Springs, Ohio-and we're a VERY rare example of a small, progressive, midwestern village. I credit a lot of our existence to Antioch College, and as they've struggled, we are too. Strangely, the other thing that has really held us down financially and kept us diverse is the fact that Dave Chappelle still lives here (his dad was a prof and an important activist). While his opinions are obviously problematic, as a neighbor and acquaintance, he and his wife and kids are friendly and supportive of the schools, arts and social justice movements in our community.
We also have an ordinance that all business has to be non-corporate; we grandfathered in US bank branch and a gas station, but that is IT. Subway just moved out of town. We have a lot of tourism on the weekends, and the funny thing is that the people visiting us have a hard time figuring out why they like it so much-but it's the walkability, human-scaled building, and overall embracing of 'weird' that our community values.
I have a sociology background and it's all very interesting to me-I could go on for days about the sheer joy of the older man who rides a Harley around town with a bubble machine strapped to the back on weekends, or the seniors that hang out outside the local grocery (they bring lawn chairs!) on Tuesdays to have a chill get together.
I love Yellow Springs! I moved to Columbus 5 years ago from the east coast (raised in Baltimore then spent 6 years in NYC) and that fall my sister and I took a day trip to YS with our dogs for a hike and to visit the sunflower fields. The whole day was magic. As soon as we drove into town I felt my entire body relax. It reminds me of our family trips to upstate NY as a kid... my father grew up in Syracuse and went to college in a small town in the finger lakes region and every time we stopped in one of the small towns like Skaneateles, it was euphoric. Only having lived in major metro areas, I’ve been so conditioned to believe that towns and villages are for weekend excursions only, that I have never seriously considered moving to a small town. (Also, many of them have become stupid expensive because wealthy people “discover” them then move there permanently or buy second homes there.) But in retrospect, the popularity of shows like Gilmore Girls that revolve around small-town life are probably a sign that I’m not alone in craving that sense of community, quirkiness and calm that are much harder to come by in cities. I wonder what it would take to make living in places like Yellow Springs a more viable and/or accessible option for people.
I grew up in Huber Heights and my dad had two very close friends who lived in Yellow Springs so I spent a lot of time there. I live outside of Boston now, but I *miss* Yellow Springs SO MUCH. <3
I first came here in the '90s-grew up outside of Cincinnati-and moved here during the pandemic. I have an elementary-aged kiddo and it is IDYLLIC for kids, if a little sheltered. It's an amazing little village in so many ways.
Well this sounds absolutely fabulous! Especially the non-corporate ordinance - damn, what a great idea. I’m contemplating places to move in the future and put down roots and this is definitely getting added to the list! Thanks for sharing! 🙏🏼
helooo!!! waves wildly from a neighboring state. I grew up in YSO in the 70's and 80's. It's my dream to move back but I haven't figured out the income/COL balance. It's changed a lot but it's still a great place.
Oooo, that sounds amazing, where do you live? (If you don’t mind my asking)
I live in Yellow Springs, Ohio-and we're a VERY rare example of a small, progressive, midwestern village. I credit a lot of our existence to Antioch College, and as they've struggled, we are too. Strangely, the other thing that has really held us down financially and kept us diverse is the fact that Dave Chappelle still lives here (his dad was a prof and an important activist). While his opinions are obviously problematic, as a neighbor and acquaintance, he and his wife and kids are friendly and supportive of the schools, arts and social justice movements in our community.
We also have an ordinance that all business has to be non-corporate; we grandfathered in US bank branch and a gas station, but that is IT. Subway just moved out of town. We have a lot of tourism on the weekends, and the funny thing is that the people visiting us have a hard time figuring out why they like it so much-but it's the walkability, human-scaled building, and overall embracing of 'weird' that our community values.
I have a sociology background and it's all very interesting to me-I could go on for days about the sheer joy of the older man who rides a Harley around town with a bubble machine strapped to the back on weekends, or the seniors that hang out outside the local grocery (they bring lawn chairs!) on Tuesdays to have a chill get together.
I love Yellow Springs! I moved to Columbus 5 years ago from the east coast (raised in Baltimore then spent 6 years in NYC) and that fall my sister and I took a day trip to YS with our dogs for a hike and to visit the sunflower fields. The whole day was magic. As soon as we drove into town I felt my entire body relax. It reminds me of our family trips to upstate NY as a kid... my father grew up in Syracuse and went to college in a small town in the finger lakes region and every time we stopped in one of the small towns like Skaneateles, it was euphoric. Only having lived in major metro areas, I’ve been so conditioned to believe that towns and villages are for weekend excursions only, that I have never seriously considered moving to a small town. (Also, many of them have become stupid expensive because wealthy people “discover” them then move there permanently or buy second homes there.) But in retrospect, the popularity of shows like Gilmore Girls that revolve around small-town life are probably a sign that I’m not alone in craving that sense of community, quirkiness and calm that are much harder to come by in cities. I wonder what it would take to make living in places like Yellow Springs a more viable and/or accessible option for people.
I grew up in Huber Heights and my dad had two very close friends who lived in Yellow Springs so I spent a lot of time there. I live outside of Boston now, but I *miss* Yellow Springs SO MUCH. <3
I first came here in the '90s-grew up outside of Cincinnati-and moved here during the pandemic. I have an elementary-aged kiddo and it is IDYLLIC for kids, if a little sheltered. It's an amazing little village in so many ways.
Well this sounds absolutely fabulous! Especially the non-corporate ordinance - damn, what a great idea. I’m contemplating places to move in the future and put down roots and this is definitely getting added to the list! Thanks for sharing! 🙏🏼
helooo!!! waves wildly from a neighboring state. I grew up in YSO in the 70's and 80's. It's my dream to move back but I haven't figured out the income/COL balance. It's changed a lot but it's still a great place.