Third Places

Why did Oldenburg start his book The Great Good Place by depressing his readers? I grew up in South St. Paul (SSP) and I’m not quite sure if is considered an “automobile suburb,” since there was no explicit definition. However, there is a strong sense of community in SSP. In fact, SSP is almost exactly opposite of the suburb Oldenburg was describing in his first chapter. The majority of the city is filled with small family operated businesses that have been around forever (although over the years more have been closing). There are city-wide parties, booyas, and fundraisers. It is not uncommon to meet someone, you think, for the first time, only to figure out you knew each other ten years before. I often joke that my alley is the inspiration for King of the Hill because you’ll often find the neighbors out there drinking beer or watching the game in someone’s garage. SSP is filled with third places. How much of this suburban isolation is because of geographic location and how much is self-inflicted social seclusion?