Celebrating the Wonderful Lives of Small Towns in the Tennessee River Valley

KNOXVILLE, Tenn., Dec. 12, 2021 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- For many of a certain agelessness, the merry spectacle of Jimmy Stewart joyfully bounding through the drifted-over streets of Bedford Falls, happily showering animated Christmas wishes upon humans and inanimate objects alike, is among Hollywood's most heart-warming Holiday visions of small-town American life.

Not for nothing has "It's A Wonderful Life" — for which 2021 marks the 75th anniversary of its theatrical release— been ranked by the American Film Institute as the most inspiring movie of all time.

One of the central themes of Frank Capra's redemptive epic — which graced the silver screen just as America was returning to a sense of normalcy following the horrors, upheavals and uncertainties of World War II — is the importance of preserving a sense of place and protecting community identity in the face of shifting cultural attitudes and unrelenting economic pressures.

The triumphant, down-home message still resonates three-quarters of a century later, in some ways now more than ever.

The nation at large — and the Tennessee River Valley and Southern Appalachia in particular — is experiencing revival of interest in and appreciation for smaller-communities, and a renaissance of thinking-and-acting locally.

There's certainly now a widespread sense that "downtowns are cool again," Mary Helmer Wirth, president of Main Street Alabama, told ExploreTRV recently for an article exploring the many ways small-town Appalachia is capitalizing on surrounding natural beauty and drawing in visitors to experience enriching local heritage.

"As people kind of moved to the bright, shiny new malls, the traditional downtown was kind of left behind," she said. "But they're coming back."

Wirth says there's an unmistakable longing in America for the friendly community relations and neighborly familiarity that can be lacking in more urbanized settings.

Across our remarkable region, communities that have long struggled economically are coming to realize that their most marketable assets are a traditional sense of place and proximity to adventure recreation opportunities.

Community business owners, political leaders and wellness advocates who celebrate the past — and prioritize preserving local heritage — will likely always have a solid foundation upon which to build future success. And they're also recognizing that advancing a downtown economy forward can often best be sustainably achieved by strengthening ties back to surrounding rural lands.

Outdoor recreation is flourishing across the region, and the doors of opportunity are opening for entrepreneurs and planners who recognize the town-and-country connections.

Fitting together "incredible natural assets and natural resources" with attractive small-town amenities is key to regenerating local economic landscapes, said Chris McKlarney, administrator of Giles County in Southwest Virginia.

McKlarney believes a healthy recreation economy will nourish success and prosperity in other important economic sectors as well.

"We see that as just another aspect and another piece of the puzzle of economic development," McKlarney said. "People can choose to live anywhere today. Industries can locate where they want. If you don't have the quality of life, you are not going to have the industry that you are really looking for."

ExploreTRV wants to help your town tell its story of resilience and your county's tale of natural wonder — and how they connect and nourish one another and feed the larger community's optimism.

No matter where you live in Southern Appalachia, historical cultural assets and first-rate recreational resources are never far away.

This Holiday Season, make a point of thinking about what makes life wonderful in your community and drop us a line. We'd be delighted to let others know that your corner of the Tennessee River Valley region is very much worth a temporary visit or maybe even a permanent stay.

The TRV Stewardship Council, a 501 c3, serves as the steering committee and editorial board for the ExploreTRV MapGuide, a geotourism website. The Council is composed of volunteers from the seven state region. The Council's efforts are made possible through the generous support of the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA).

Media Contact

Mark Engler, TRV Stewardship Council Inc, 8655850811, [email protected]

SOURCE TRV Stewardship Council Inc