By: Esperanza Chavez
Tulia, Texas, has only one stop light, is roughly a mile wide, and only houses about five-thousand people. This is all I knew for most of my life, but this is just the surface level. Growing up, I knew there must be more to keep these five thousand people around generation after generation. Ogallala Commons introduced me to the “12 Key Assets of Commonwealth.” In each community (thriving or not), there will always be variations of these 12 Key assets. These vary from education, sense of place, and renewable energy. Connecting these to Tulia gave me some insight. “Sense of place” thrives in communities like Tulia. People would stay or come back here to raise their children. They bring their traditions to their future offspring. Living here, you know your neighbor, your friend’s neighbors, and you get to see people you love daily.
I believe “History” also plays a significant part in Tulia’s community. For example, this past week, the community celebrated the 132nd birthday of Swisher County with the Swisher County Picnic. The week is filled with music, food, and vendors who set up downtown. It ends on Saturday with a big parade and a concert and rodeo that night. As great as Tulia can be, it is not all good; like most places, Tulia has its rough edges and painful truths. “Water Cycle” we have been in a drought for years, and it does not seem to be getting better. “Education” in Tulia has needed to adapt because of our constant and tiresome changes. “Renewable energy” doesn’t have much of a conversation here. I believe Tulia has terrific people willing to make it a better place, but like any other place, Tulia has some struggles. I am confident that with more work towards their 12 key assets Tulia will continue to be a thriving community.
