Crystal River, Citrus County, Flordia

Walter, before going to bed, as you asked, here are some insights, thoughts about Crystal River, Florida.


Safe - The most important dimension of this area is safety. Check out the movie Rosewood, which is based on a real event. In 1922, a white woman in a nearby town of Rosewood accused a black man of raping her. Rosewood was a community of blacks, many middle class. When the whites heard the charges they went to Rosewood, burned it down, and killed 145 blacks in the process. There is an undercurrent of this penchance for racial violence here yet, but the result is the gangster class is afraid to come here. You see few blacks, period. Those who appear, as a rule, e.g. chamber of commerce events, which I have attended, are solid middle class.


Relaxed - We are in a rural area, although it is on the Gulf of Mexico seacoast. The result is a soft, gentle, friendly way of life, very similar to Mt. Horeb, Wiarton, Barrie, etc. It is great! People are not afraid of each other here. It is easy to be friendly without scaring the hell out of people. I go to the local Rotary Club meetings, since I am now a member in Mt. Horeb, Wisconsin, and folks are there from literally all parts of the U.S. - and Canada, including Guelph! This provides a large population of retired folks and "snow birds," like Jane and me, who seek relief from the cold up North. The intellectual, skill base of this area is immense. You do not hear the Southern drawl at all. Most folks are from the North, and this adds to a very pleasant mix of different people.


Moral - The number of churches, often fundamentalist, is impressive. It adds to the comfort level of the area, for the folks here know right from wrong overall. This spills over into their dealings with others, including outsiders. It also offsets the "dark side" of the undercurrent of potential violence, racial in particular, in the area's history. Frankly, I love it. Here are the values that formed this once-great countrty. If it recovers them, it will heal itself. Most of these churches run thrift stores and food pantires to help the 10-11% of the population here in need. We do not need Washington or Wall Street. This echoes my own local control value, tradition.


Beautiful - The natural beauty here is breathtaking. We have a federal bird sanctuary literally across the road from us, and it features over 200 species! We have over 300 manatees coming in from the Gulf into the warm river water around us. People routinely stand on shorelines bridges to observe them. Overall, there is no litter, garbage, and the beaches are clean, restful, and yes, safe. I cannot stress safety enough. It is the American in me. This writer is fed up with catering to a parasitic under-class - especially its predatory behavior on the very people who pay the welfare for its survival. So, I have come full circle. Safety coupled with natural beauty is a rare combination - at least in this Republic. Jane and I plan to become "regular" snow birds here. We frankly love the area, its people, its culture. Moreover, we do not have urban cost of living like a Tampa, 70 miles nearby. The area is suffering from the economic downturn here, but it is taking steps to grow new jobs here. When they heard I taught business, the chamber was excited and wanted me to return. I want to help out.


There, in a nutshell, is a quick "boots-on-the-ground" analysis of Crystal River, Florida and Citrus County, which is the county in which Crystal River is. The most important dimension is its moral dimension. As Russell Kirk, the late American philosopher taught, moral foundation must come first. Thank God, this area has it big time.


There, I must go to bed now. If you come South to the US from Canada, come to Crystal River, Citrus County


Paul