Brian Sandford: Why do you love living here? We want to know

I’ve written nearly 30 Sunday columns for the Appeal now, and I initially thought coming up with a new topic each week would be a challenge. It isn’t.

After I’d written three columns or so, my girlfriend at the time said, “It must be a treat for you to be writing a weekly column again. Finally.” She knew I’d been working nights, behind the scenes, for many years.

I replied, “I’ve never written a column before. This is brand new.”

Many things I’ve experienced in Nevada are brand new. I formed expectations of this place before I arrived, and in many areas, I was off-base. I figured I’d like it here, but I didn’t realize just how much I’d love my new home.

The biggest reason for that? People here are nice. They are polite, thoughtful and considerate in ways that, frankly, put people in some of my previous homes — the Northwest and even the Midwest — to shame.

On a professional level, I noticed early on that people here really want the Nevada Appeal to succeed. We will, and it’s partly because of that support. On a personal level, I received letters and emails within three months of my arrival in early February that stunned me in their honesty and support.

We’re a community of natives and immigrants, and I’m flattered to be treated well as part of the latter group. People come to Carson City to escape high taxes, horrible traffic and customary rudeness, but I can tell you from experience that they don’t fully realize what they’re in for until they are here.

I lived in Florida for seven years, and I loved it. But it’s a place many people spend some time in, then leave. Northern Nevada is different. People come here, and they stay. There’s a reason civic pride is overflowing here. People like living here. That clearly plays a role in the kindness I’ve mentioned.

Not everyone agrees with what the paper is doing. I chatted for about 30 minutes from home with a reader recently who thought Syria should have a bigger presence on our front page, and that some of the things we feature on Page A1 — such as the Ranch House’s closing — should run inside. He is accustomed to reading the Chicago Tribune and moved here from Illinois. But he and I both clearly had some Nevada in us, as we discussed our differences very respectfully and had a great conversation.

We’ve had numerous letters to the editor about what happened at the animal shelter recently, and we’ll print them all. But I’d like to extend a rare invitation to readers to opine about something else.

I want to know why you like living here. More specifically, I want to know why you think people are so kind in this community. I’ve shared my thoughts, and I’d like to hear yours.

Editor Brian Sandford can be reached at bsandford@nevadaappeal.com.