To properly discuss my hometown, I will have to use the MacTavish article for evalutation.  In the article, River Terrace Mobile Home Park is described in two way: it has a very good sense of community and then on the other hand it is a very isolated place to live.  It is hard for me to agree with just one and this is why…well, where my actual house with is more of a sense of isolation, but the town where I have grown up, played sports, gone to school, etc is what I consider my community and that would align well with the first argument: the tightness and welcoming sense you get from a small community is one of a kind. 

         Now that the confusion is out of the way, I live in a rural area about 5 miles from the Canadian border called Alexandria Bay.  It is a river town on the St. Lawrence River and is absolutely beautiful.  The houses are close together and everything is within walking distance.  The sense of community, especially social capital, is amazing.  Going to the grocery store, for example, could be an hour affair when you went to go get a gallon of milk.  Everyone knows everyone, so people are constantly catching up on life and the gossip in the aisles of our shopping market The Big M.  How my town is set up makes it easy for people to go around to stores, meet up with friends, and be close to the action at all times.  I think that this helps maintain our high social capital because the community is in such tight quarters that you are almost forced to know your neighbors. 

         The only limiting factor would be that people from the outskirts of Alexandria Bay, such as Redwood (where I live) and Plessis, are not “in the loop” at all times because we do not live right in town.  We all go to school together though, so all of the villages are interconnected in that way.  We all participate on the same sports teams, committees, and musical events therefore all having the same “community experiences”.

         Aside from social capital, the layout of our town provides for many village wide activities that bring us closer together.  Since our community is so small and tight-knit, we have an annual village wide rummage sale, which brings all the surrounding communities that make up our river community together for an afternoon.  People converse and buy each others items increasing capital amongst them.  Also, we have a week and two weekends of Pirates Weekend, which is filled with activities for children and adults.  Many activities are held in the center of town, local bars, and on the beautiful river as well.  There are mock pirate invasions, magic show with pirates, and also many drink specials at the bars.  These are just two of the many ways my community promotes close ties.

         Needless to say, I love my community and have had the best experience growing up in such a supportive, close knit town.