The Home City—Not Just the Hub City
They are givers. They are doers. They are thinkers. They care. They love to see good, and they love to be the good.
People in Jackson, Tennessee are dollar after dollar, event after event, changing the world they live in like no other city in the world, and I’ve seen this first hand. I have watch this yearn for a better world grow larger in the hearts of many while doing work at a local non-profit.
I am inspired and encouraged by these actions, and I know that because of them Jackson is changing, evolving into more than just the Hub City. We are becoming the Home City.
No matter where in the world I’ve spent time—even living in Paris for a short while—Jackson has always been home. It’s always been the place I longed for, couldn’t wait to return to. I’ve missed the old familiar places that knew me by name. Whether it was my favorite spot to stop for coffee, visiting the Book Lady for a recommendation given by fellow-readers who knew what I wanted to read even before I did, or constantly running into someone who asked me how my day was going.
Perhaps I missed it all.
“To truly love Jackson you must meet people from each corner, from each area. Jackson doesn’t have one face; it is made up of so many beautiful stories, each with their own happiness and heartbreak.”
Homes are never without room for improvement, though. Jackson is growing and changing in many wonderful directions. But the one thing I keep reminding myself of—and perhaps we all need the reminder—is this: Appreciate Jackson for all its parts.
Jackson is what it is because of the many different people—who live in many different corners of the city, who call it home. Jackson can not be reduced to any stereotype. It is not only the Columns of North Jackson; it is not simply rapidly growing Midtown or Downtown; it isn’t only East Jackson or rural areas in between.
Jackson is home because of all of these very important pieces. To truly love Jackson you must meet people from each corner, from each area. Jackson doesn’t have one face; it is made up of so many beautiful stories, each with their own happiness and heartbreak.
I think that’s why I love Jackson so much—because Jackson is more than a city filled with “x amount” of people. It is a city filled with stories. It is Home. Not just mine. Not just yours or theirs. It is ours. Our Jackson Home.
Chelsea-Catherine Cobb is a Jackson native and 2015 Union University graduate with a degree in Public Relations and French. She loves a strong cup of coffee, antique shopping, watching Jeopardy, writing, and meeting others who call Jackson home. Tell Chelsea you love cats, and you'll make a friend for life.
Header image by Kristi Woody.
