Fort Wayne is a Terrible Town

That is what some folks say.

Maybe it's the numerous Mens Health Survey that say we are stupid.

On the other hand we rank #3 in sexual satisfaction. And #23 in overweightness.

I wonder if it's all tied together, but that's not really what I want to talk about.

Usually people who have a negative attitude about, well just about anything.

I disagree.

Fort Wayne is not a terrible town.

Maybe it is my age, or perspective that time gives, but I really think that we are much better than the naysayers believe.

My family moved here in the 1960's when I was 6 years old and I stayed until 1978 when I took my first full time radio job.

I returned in 1980 for about 3 years, but came back for good in 1998 after my Dad died.

I wasn't planning on staying, but when I met my wife and she showed me what she loved about Fort Wayne, I was hooked.

Hooked on her, and on Fort Wayne.

Now that our kids are all married off and living on their own, we've decided to stay.

This past weekend I visited the Johnny Appleseed Festival.

The weekend before, it was Tourist in Your Hometown weekend.

There are always more things to do than I have time for.

Believe it or not, one of the reasons we live in Fort Wayne is also that we like to leave town.

It could be a short trip to the Grabill Fair which we did this month.

Or a weekend trip to Indiana Dunes and Illinois and back again.

We've made trips to Ohio, Michigan and other parts of Indiana and explored Bed & Breakfasts all over the region, all is possible because we live in Fort Wayne.

I often will run into people I know, or those that know me on a daily basis, because I get involved and reach out.

(Sidenote: I'm more of an introvert than extrovert, but I push myself because I also like people and those connections.)

I could go on and on, but what inspired me to write this today was an awareness of a project that Nick Arnett is embarking on to make our area even better. It's called 12 Cities 12 Months and you can learn more about it by visiting the website.

In the past 12 months, I've been involved due to a couple of connections. I was nominated and selected as one of 101 Connectors in Northeast Indiana. I am also on the Citizen Advisory Panel for Vision 2020.

I have to admit that when I first heard about the Vision 2020 project I was a skeptic. But over time, I have seen the value and now am wondering how to make it real. That's what Nick's journey is all about.

What are your thoughts on Fort Wayne?