What Does It Mean To Live In Bolingbrook?

"You do not really want to ask a Cajun why he lives in a swamp, especially when he is packing everything he owns because the very swamp he loves is about to swallow up his house. ...So, why live in a swamp that everyone knew was likely to flood one day?

As Mr. Melancon crated the belongings of three generations of family on Friday and got ready to pack his relatives into campers and cars, the answer was plain as the sticky Louisiana day. 

“It’s where we was raised. Where my daddy was raised. Where we make our living,” he said. “Why you are here is something you never even think about. You are this place.”  New York Times, 5-14-2011

Bolingbrook isn't a swamp. It's not at risk of being wiped off the face of the earth by floodwaters. In fact, we got some award for flood prevention. I’ve seen a sign around town somewhere. Sure, we'll get a tornado now and then. But it's pretty easy to live here. It's affordable. It's convenient. Is that why people move here and stay here? 

Bolingbrook was founded in 1959. Not as historic as that old Cajun town in Louisiana, but many people have been raised here and still live here. Our mayor is one of them. Members of my church, too.

But would anyone ever say about Bolingbrook: "Why I’m here is something I never even think about”?  Or, “I am this place”? 

What is "this place"? Does it mean anything to live here?

When I describe Bolingbrook to my city friends, I say things like: "I can always find a place to park out here”; "It's really nice to have a house with a yard"; "We have every big box store and chain restaurant you'd ever need." 

Is that all? Suburban life sometimes seems that way. It's easy, convenient, and "safe." 

But something in me is determined to find more. When a group of people settle down in on a scrap of land, you can't help but develop a sense of place. Right?

What do you think?