Can Longmont become the Wild West?
This column originall ran Feb. 12, 2004:
The movie “Field of Dreams” made famous the line “If you build it, they will come.”
It’s proven to be true countless times. Even the ballpark carved out of a cornfield in Iowa for the movie has proven to be an attraction itself. When people go on vacation, they often go to see sites made by man. Think of Mount Rushmore, the St. Louis Arch, the Statue of Liberty, Disney World, the Space Needle, the Golden Gate Bridge and numerous other landmarks.
Even minor ones like the Nebraska Archway in Kearney, Neb., draw the curious. When people think of Colorado, they think of skiing — yet another manmade attraction.But what brings people to Longmont? What have we got that no one else has that would make this place a tourist destination?
Whenever you see tourist brochures for Colorado, you see awesome pictures of mountains, the Royal Gorge Bridge, the Garden of the Gods, ski resorts, casinos, Estes Park, Denver’s stadiums and the like.
You don’t see pictures from Longmont very often.
Colorado has a blend of natural and environmental attractions, often linked to manmade attractions that make these spots prime destinations. Longmont is often noted as a great place to live, but who would want to visit here?
We have awesome amenities for a great quality of life, but why should tourists go out of their way to come here?
I know that is a question the city and the various economic development groups have grappled with over the years. I’m no expert and may even be barking up the wrong tree, but it seems to me that the best way to bring tourists to Longmont is to give them a reason to come. We need to build something or create something that is a “must see.”
With the recent opening of the Ken Pratt Boulevard Extension, Longmont has a vast opportunity at economic development. Every time I drive the now-barren stretch of road, I can’t help but think how great it would be to have the area around Lefthand Creek or the St. Vrain River turned into scenic waterfront shops, including a mix of restaurants, outdoor activity shops, curio shops and specialty markets.
It could be kind of an outdoor mall of sorts.The makeup would be determined by the development design and the mix of services. Would it be a destination?
It could be.
Perhaps it could be tied in to some other kind of attraction. I can almost picture an Old West-type town where people in period costumes give public performances, not unlike Williamsburg, Va.
I can’t think of too many places that really try to capitalize on the Old West image. We’re in a prime spot to do that. And believe me, tourists would flock to it. It even could be tied into mass transit with an old-style train station with a locomotive taking passengers to points across town, maybe even to and from other cities.I don’t know.
Maybe I’m just a Monday morning quarterback or a Johnny-come-lately who should have been getting involved with the plans years ago. Unfortunately, I’m not too in tune to the plans for the area. This is just an image I visualize as I drive down the road.Then again, maybe we just want to fill the area with more big-box development, chain store restaurants and thousands of rooftops.
After all, it’s worked for us so far, hasn’t it?
The movie “Field of Dreams” made famous the line “If you build it, they will come.”
It’s proven to be true countless times. Even the ballpark carved out of a cornfield in Iowa for the movie has proven to be an attraction itself. When people go on vacation, they often go to see sites made by man. Think of Mount Rushmore, the St. Louis Arch, the Statue of Liberty, Disney World, the Space Needle, the Golden Gate Bridge and numerous other landmarks.
Even minor ones like the Nebraska Archway in Kearney, Neb., draw the curious. When people think of Colorado, they think of skiing — yet another manmade attraction.But what brings people to Longmont? What have we got that no one else has that would make this place a tourist destination?
Whenever you see tourist brochures for Colorado, you see awesome pictures of mountains, the Royal Gorge Bridge, the Garden of the Gods, ski resorts, casinos, Estes Park, Denver’s stadiums and the like.
You don’t see pictures from Longmont very often.
Colorado has a blend of natural and environmental attractions, often linked to manmade attractions that make these spots prime destinations. Longmont is often noted as a great place to live, but who would want to visit here?
We have awesome amenities for a great quality of life, but why should tourists go out of their way to come here?
I know that is a question the city and the various economic development groups have grappled with over the years. I’m no expert and may even be barking up the wrong tree, but it seems to me that the best way to bring tourists to Longmont is to give them a reason to come. We need to build something or create something that is a “must see.”
With the recent opening of the Ken Pratt Boulevard Extension, Longmont has a vast opportunity at economic development. Every time I drive the now-barren stretch of road, I can’t help but think how great it would be to have the area around Lefthand Creek or the St. Vrain River turned into scenic waterfront shops, including a mix of restaurants, outdoor activity shops, curio shops and specialty markets.
It could be kind of an outdoor mall of sorts.The makeup would be determined by the development design and the mix of services. Would it be a destination?
It could be.
Perhaps it could be tied in to some other kind of attraction. I can almost picture an Old West-type town where people in period costumes give public performances, not unlike Williamsburg, Va.
I can’t think of too many places that really try to capitalize on the Old West image. We’re in a prime spot to do that. And believe me, tourists would flock to it. It even could be tied into mass transit with an old-style train station with a locomotive taking passengers to points across town, maybe even to and from other cities.I don’t know.
Maybe I’m just a Monday morning quarterback or a Johnny-come-lately who should have been getting involved with the plans years ago. Unfortunately, I’m not too in tune to the plans for the area. This is just an image I visualize as I drive down the road.Then again, maybe we just want to fill the area with more big-box development, chain store restaurants and thousands of rooftops.
After all, it’s worked for us so far, hasn’t it?
posted by Joe Southern | 9:56 AM
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