Context
Loganville is a small, sleepy town known for being one of the safest places in Georgia. It has a violent crime rate of about 1.5 per 1000 residents. Safewise, a blog about the safety of cities reports, “Loganville is the kind of place where neighbors look out for one another. It’s also a community that supports emergency service personnel by participating in groups like the Community Emergency Response Team and the Medical Reserve Corps. ”
I never thought much about my small town, but the description from Safewise is oddly very satisfying as I feel that it does adequately represent my town. The graph to to the right does so as well, but not completely. The 70% vote to Loganville being quiet is also very true, with the other categories being wildly misleading. Not much happens in the town. Most of the local news comes from the county parent newspaper, the Walton Tribune, because there wasn’t enough news to fill a paper for just Loganville. Even when the city started publishing its own newspaper in the late 2000’s, the Loganville Tribune, it often reported county stories as well as those from the city. Both news outlets primarily disseminate information about small government projects or the outcomes of local high school sports.
The city is a normal slice of modern, homogeneous Americana. The city is no where near walkable. The heart of the town is the intersection of Hwy 78 and Hwy 20. Streets, even those away from the highways, often lack sidewalks as the presence of these major roads forces Loganville to cater to the car. The restaurants are mainly chains with the exception of a long standing Mexican restaurant from the 80’s and small American diner, rightfully named Kellie’s Home Cooking, from what is likely the beginning of time. The schools are above grade due to the quiet seclusion from the hustle-bustle of city life. It’s easy to stay out of trouble when there is nothing to do. The people, although nice, are mainly white with most variation from that appearing in the last decade. The most recent census reports little diversity: 70% White, 22% African-American, 7% Hispanic, 2% Asian, 1% Other.
