STILL MAKING HISTORY
'Still making history' is the slogan of Alexandria. There always seems to be something to celebrate or commemorate in this suburban city, six miles south of Washington D.C. Alexandria was founded in 1749 and by 1753 it had become a thriving port shipping tobacco, grain, wheat and produce to England and the Carribean. I've been spending a fair amount of time in this area recently to escape the urban jungle of downtown Washington D.C.
When the federal District of Columbia was created in 1791 Alexandria was included in the boundary, however after receiving little financial aid and no voting rights Alexandrians became dissenchanted with being part of the District of Columbia and in 1847 voted to return to Virginia. Residents of the District of Columbia only gained the right to vote in presidential elections as recently as 1964 and continue to be subjected to taxation without representation.
The land of present day Alexandria was purchased by a Scotsman, John Alexander in 1669 for 'six thousand pounds of Tobacco and Cask" and the town of Alexandria was founded in his honour by a group of landholders and businessmen led by Scotsmen John Carlyle and William Ramsay. There is still evidence today of this early Scottish influence. The City's mascot is a Scottish Terrier and they host an annual 'Virginia Scottish Games' during the summer. There is even a Scottish tobacconist on King Street.
SOCIAL & ECONOMICAL
The Old Torpedo Factory at 105N Union Street, was built during WWI for the manufacture of torpedo parts and then reused again during WWII as a munitions factory. Today, it is an Arts center dedicated to nearly 200 artists and craftpersons who sell their work directly from their studios. The strong sense of community and pride over local products is a refreshing contrast to the impersonal and lonely streets of downtown Washington D.C. It is also an environment seldom preserved these days. If you are an out-of-towner the tourist office will make you an honourary citizen for the day, and provide you with 24hrs of free parking in order to enjoy their town. There is a huge Whole Foods supermarket in the town and free WiFi access available throughout the Old Town. It's no wonder Alexandria is ranked as one of the best places to live in the country. The town is no wizz-kid but it has clung on to the fundamentals for a building a strong community and is proud of it.
ENVIRONMENT
I saw Al Gore on Jay Leno last week talking about his documentary 'The Inconvenient Truth'...any positive work that encourages debate on important issues and that raises awareness has to be beneficial.
PRODUCTS
I noticed a great example of an environmentally insensitve product being sold in the popular 'outdoors' store LLBean. They are selling cardboard boxes containing bulbs that have been grown in the Netherlands and flown over to the USA for people to purchase. Does the USA not have it's own variety of bulbs for people to buy? Does a bulb grown in the Netherlands make for a a better flower?
When the federal District of Columbia was created in 1791 Alexandria was included in the boundary, however after receiving little financial aid and no voting rights Alexandrians became dissenchanted with being part of the District of Columbia and in 1847 voted to return to Virginia. Residents of the District of Columbia only gained the right to vote in presidential elections as recently as 1964 and continue to be subjected to taxation without representation.
The land of present day Alexandria was purchased by a Scotsman, John Alexander in 1669 for 'six thousand pounds of Tobacco and Cask" and the town of Alexandria was founded in his honour by a group of landholders and businessmen led by Scotsmen John Carlyle and William Ramsay. There is still evidence today of this early Scottish influence. The City's mascot is a Scottish Terrier and they host an annual 'Virginia Scottish Games' during the summer. There is even a Scottish tobacconist on King Street.
SOCIAL & ECONOMICAL
The Old Torpedo Factory at 105N Union Street, was built during WWI for the manufacture of torpedo parts and then reused again during WWII as a munitions factory. Today, it is an Arts center dedicated to nearly 200 artists and craftpersons who sell their work directly from their studios. The strong sense of community and pride over local products is a refreshing contrast to the impersonal and lonely streets of downtown Washington D.C. It is also an environment seldom preserved these days. If you are an out-of-towner the tourist office will make you an honourary citizen for the day, and provide you with 24hrs of free parking in order to enjoy their town. There is a huge Whole Foods supermarket in the town and free WiFi access available throughout the Old Town. It's no wonder Alexandria is ranked as one of the best places to live in the country. The town is no wizz-kid but it has clung on to the fundamentals for a building a strong community and is proud of it.
ENVIRONMENT
I saw Al Gore on Jay Leno last week talking about his documentary 'The Inconvenient Truth'...any positive work that encourages debate on important issues and that raises awareness has to be beneficial.
PRODUCTS
I noticed a great example of an environmentally insensitve product being sold in the popular 'outdoors' store LLBean. They are selling cardboard boxes containing bulbs that have been grown in the Netherlands and flown over to the USA for people to purchase. Does the USA not have it's own variety of bulbs for people to buy? Does a bulb grown in the Netherlands make for a a better flower?
Labels: Al Gore, Alexandria, bulbs, community, environmental, Inconvenient Truth, Jay Leno, LLBean, products, scottish, social
