My research asks: "What does it mean to live in a small town today?"

I'm interested in what small town residents care about: What are they talking about? What are they fighting about? How does the small town experience in real life differ from that in novels and film? I believe that small towns have long been simplified and understudied in academic research. A closer look will find that concerns in these places are reflective of broader concerns of the nation, and even the world. Concerns about land (over-) development, economic vitality, and a sense of community are at the heart of the local small town experience, and answers (and questions) there can help us better understand the urban experience as a whole.

I began work on my dissertation in Fall 2007, researching and writing out of Ellensburg, Washington, my first study site. Ellensburg provided a great backdrop to my early research on how we define small towns both qualitatively and quantitatively. In March 2008, I began looking at Ellensburg as a place: how did it define itself? How did its past affect its present? How had it changed in recent years? I interviewed people in town, took photos, made maps of land use, attended public meetings, and looked through local documents, both recent and historic. I'll do this in a total of seven towns throughout the western United States.

This website is aimed at the small town residents that I met and talked with during my research. I’d like you to be able to learn more about my research, and about the other towns that I’ve visited.

Please feel free to contact me at jmapes (at) usc (dot) edu with questions and comments, or if you'd like me to email you a high-resolution version of any of the photos I've taken.