Tuesday, January 29, 2013

Newcomers Welcoming Long-Timers?

It is often said that newcomers to the St. Louis area often have a greater appreciation for what St. Louis has to offer than long time residents.

Maybe there should be a "Non-Native Ambassadors Society" established to reintroduce long time residents to the good things happening around St. Louis today?

8 comments:

Scott Pluff said...

Sign me up. My wife and I made a conscious decision to move our family into the City of St. Louis, even as many of our family and friends were moving further out into the county or metro east. One of the best decisions we've ever made.

Eric Hamilton said...

I think that's true!

I'm a recent transplant and I've already grown to love this city. More than I expected. I'll have a chance in a couple days to show some prospective job applicants around the city and persuade them to move here. I'm delighted by the possibility.

Kitty Landholt said...

http://www.stltransplants.com/#!about/c13ps

St. Louis Transplants basically does that! I think their membership is transplants working to show newcomers and natives how awesome STL is.

Rick Bonasch said...

thanks all for the replies. there are a lot of good things happening and all of these efforts are great!

Christian said...

I have heard about a local group with the somewhat abrupt banner of "St. Louis Doesn't Suck". Can't remember their names, but I heard them on "St. Louis On The Air" a couple of weeks ago. They are transplant/boosters who feel strongly that our city and region suffer from poor self-esteem. I agree that it is especially galling when native locals undermine St. Louis by energetically telling newcomers how much they're gonna hate it here. The merits of St. Louis are clear to open eyes and minds, but when the proverbial "horse's mouth" is part of the problem, an additional layer of negativity is introduced.

Brian said...

Recent transplants are often much more excited about their new surroundings and discoveries, making them more likely to want to share them with others. That being said, I always make it a point to make friends with locals or natives from wherever I move to so that I can make those discoveries in the first place.

Christian said...

This makes me think of the first time I went to Cleveland. I had always been given to believe that it was some uniquely hellish excuse for a city, "the mistake on the lake", the punch line to a million mean jokes, the virtual "whipping boy" for people who felt they hailed from loftier places. I found a lot to like there, including beautiful historic architecture, some great restaurants, and superior cultural assets. Of course, those of Loftier Burgs would not be surprised to hear me say that, since I come from hole like St. Louis. These perceptions are fueled by a self-aggrandizing provincialism, like New Yorkers I have known who pride themselves on not even knowing where St. Louis is.

Unknown said...

Thanks for sharing this with all of us.

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