While I was not born here, most of my life has been spent in this valley and among the mountains that change little over time. During those six-plus decades, there have been several eras of growth and change, always followed by times of rest and reset when we gather our equilibrium again.
Those who have lived here as long or longer know this cycle. The pendulum swings both ways. All change, in the guise of new and unfamiliar people, comes sweeping through, and everything gets strained and off balance. Those of us from here complain bitterly while the newcomers ignore the rules. This is one of those times.
Yes Tim, progress and current events have certainly had an impact on the Conways. And we have usually weathered the seasonal ebb and flow of the tourist seasons.
However, there has been a rush by the town leaders and those with influence to completely transform the Valley into some kind of "Economic" zone without regard for any long-range negative impact that surely follows.
We now have 2 corporate home improvement centers competing for the same dollars. We are about to have 3 grocery stores within 1 mile of each other. We will have no less than 4 southwest food establishments within eye-shot of each other.
And we keep building motels/hotels.
Yes, we are growing, but to what end? And where will the labor force for all of this come from? And when customer service evaporates, just how do you think all of those "outsiders" will respond?
All of those things that have made Conway special and attractive have been almost obliterated and been replaced by short-term gains, corporate greed, chain retail stores, and restaurants.
And once the locusts have had their fill and stripped it clean, they will move on to the next attractive place leaving behind vacant stores, hotels, and parking lots, and a devastated environment.
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Yes Tim, progress and current events have certainly had an impact on the Conways. And we have usually weathered the seasonal ebb and flow of the tourist seasons.
However, there has been a rush by the town leaders and those with influence to completely transform the Valley into some kind of "Economic" zone without regard for any long-range negative impact that surely follows.
We now have 2 corporate home improvement centers competing for the same dollars. We are about to have 3 grocery stores within 1 mile of each other. We will have no less than 4 southwest food establishments within eye-shot of each other.
And we keep building motels/hotels.
Yes, we are growing, but to what end? And where will the labor force for all of this come from? And when customer service evaporates, just how do you think all of those "outsiders" will respond?
All of those things that have made Conway special and attractive have been almost obliterated and been replaced by short-term gains, corporate greed, chain retail stores, and restaurants.
And once the locusts have had their fill and stripped it clean, they will move on to the next attractive place leaving behind vacant stores, hotels, and parking lots, and a devastated environment.
And it only took about 20 years...
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Keep it Clean. Please avoid obscene, vulgar, lewd, racist or sexually-oriented language.
PLEASE TURN OFF YOUR CAPS LOCK.
Don't Threaten. Threats of harming another person will not be tolerated.
Be Truthful. Don't knowingly lie about anyone or anything.
Be Nice. No racism, sexism or any sort of -ism that is degrading to another person.
Be Proactive. Use the 'Report' link on each comment to let us know of abusive posts.
Share with Us. We'd love to hear eyewitness accounts, the history behind an article.