How to Get to Know Your City: A Simple Practice for Feeling More Connected
How much do you know about your own town or city?
Whether you've lived somewhere for six months or twenty years, it's surprisingly easy to fall into familiar routines. Many of us visit the same restaurants, walk the same parks, drive the same roads, and rarely discover the people, stories, and organizations that make our communities what they are.
If I’m honest with myself, my answer to that question is definitively not enough.
Despite moving from Seattle to Tacoma eight years ago, I still struggle to name all the different neighborhoods, understand how political power flows here, and – this is a constant conversation with my partner – hear about fun events in the area before they happen!
My biggest obstacle to learning more about my city?
I get comfortable in what I know and where I go.
Or in other words, I get into a rut.
"Where do you want to eat tonight?"
"Let’s just go to the Thai restaurant down the street again."
"What park should we take the kids?"
"Let’s do Dawson – it’s close."
With how busy and tiring life can be – working in a caring profession, parenting two young kiddos, bouncing between to-dos and figuring out what to make for dinner every night! – it can be easy to just rinse and repeat as much as possible.
I hear this often from teachers, nurses, nonprofit workers, therapists, and others whose work centers on caring for people. After spending all day supporting others, it's understandable to default to whatever is easiest close to home. But over time, those routines can leave us feeling disconnected from the very communities we're trying to serve.
Does that feel familiar?
So today, I want to name aloud a challenge and invitation toward something different – and I hope you’ll join me in it.
What Is Community-Orienting?
About a month ago, two friends walked into my local coffee shop decked out in bicycle gear. (Don’t worry – I’m not asking you to hop on a bike!)
They had just finished a “social justice tour” around the city, sponsored by one of our neighborhood bike shops. As part of a larger group, they had ridden to different areas of the city learning about our local history as well as modern-day activism and organizing. They visited places like the Northwest Detention Center, Chinese Reconciliation Park, and the Tacoma Community House, speaking with activists and leaders along the way.
They engaged in a practice I’ve been referring to as “community-orienting:”
Moving through a local area in a mindful, curious, exploratory way, with the explicit purpose of learning and experiencing the stories of the area.
All over our country there are formal events and programs for this, such as Boston’s Freedom Trail and Black Heritage Trail, Philadelphia’s Mural Art Tours, and the Lynching Sites Project of Memphis.
These are all organized forms of community-orienting – but the truth is, we can absolutely do this without much organizing at all.
How to Create Your Own Community-Orienting Tour
Here’s how to do this (in a simple way):
Invite two or three people to join you. Friends, neighbors, coworkers, random folks you know.
Choose three or four places that are important in your community. They might be historic sites, murals, parks, local organizations, spaces where something important has happened. And if you’re short on time, you can ask each person to share one place that’s meaningful to them.
Pick a day, map a simple route, and go. Walk, bike, or drive – whatever makes sense for your group. Notice what invites your attention; what stories are visible in your community; what stories are missing; what further questions come up for you.
If you have the time, reach out to a local organization ahead of your tour. See if someone is available to spend five or ten minutes sharing a little about their work. But if this doesn’t work out, no worries.
Stop for coffee or a meal together!
Before heading home, debrief together:What’s sticking with you from today?
The goal isn’t to become a local expert – it’s to practice curiosity and become more connected to the place in which you live your life.
Research consistently shows that people who feel connected to their communities experience a stronger sense of belonging, purpose, and civic engagement. Community-orienting is simply one small way to deepen that connection.
I hope this practice helps you feel more aware and connected with yours. 🙂
📬 Share this with your people:
