City Makers: American Futures
The people, organizations, and ideas reshaping the country. A journey piloted by James Fallows with Deborah Fallows.
Life on the Road
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Flying Into the Deep South
We woke up in Demopolis, Alabama, on day two of the final journey of our American Futures series for The…
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Deborah Fallows Returning to Ohio
How a small, Midwestern town has changed over the decades—and where it aims to go
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David Gray / Reuters The Education of Ryan Lochte
What he could learn from America’s public pools
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James Fallows / The Atlantic Dodge City Postcard
Notes from the ground, from the sky, and from the people of Dodge City, Kansas
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Deb Fallows / The Atlantic Listening to Montana
In Chester, Montana, a world away from city life inspires an artist's music.
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Wikimedia Commons A Library Writes Its Own Story
A California library becomes a living legend.
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Wikimedia Commons Gone Swimmin’
How public swimming pools show you the heart of a town
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Courtesy of Wall Street Suites The Good Ol' Days of the Motor Hotel Are Back
The metamorphosis of a Bend, Oregon, motel—from its classic origins, to crack house, to upscale rustic elegance.
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A Word Cloud of Ajo, Arizona
The words we use about ourselves reveal surprising truths.
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John Tierney Boulder, Colorado: A Special Kind of Community
An exaggerated version of a college town, it's the perfect setting for an unusually participatory conference.
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Airman 1st Class Sivan Veazie/ U.S. Air Force A Calculated Risk I Decided Not to Take
"Here we were doing what was a 'strafing run' down the highway and talking to Snake Eye and looking for the craters at the south end of the corridor." Why we made this last leg of the journey by car.
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OC Weekly On SOTU Day, Some Next Steps in Civic Life
A conference in Washington, a development across the country
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Map with Esri software, by John Tierney The Long Stretch Home
The fourth day of a cross-country flight
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Eleanor Grandstaff Collection Revisiting The Atlantic's Dust Bowl Series
The third day of a cross-country flight
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Photos Deb Fallows Connecting Dots Over America
The second day of a cross-country flight
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James Fallows, courtesy Thomas Fallows Flying West From the Winter
The first day of a cross-country flight
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James Fallows Thanksgiving in the Dust Bowl
A new understanding of bravery and independence
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All photos by Deborah Fallows A New Vocabulary for American Towns
Three 21st-century words that are driving the nation's most dynamic municipalities
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Woody Fridae California Dreamin': How Collaboration Builds Small-Town Communities
In Winters, California, a library, a swimming pool, and a school make a big difference in the quality of life.
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James Fallows How to Sign Up for Our 'American Futures' Newsletter
"At the national level, American politics is bitterly polarized, and the mood of the country can seem fearful and downcast. But city by city we’ve seen examples of collaboration, practical-minded compromise, long-term investment in a region’s future, and a coast-to-coast resurgence in manufacturing and other startup activity."
