We All Belong: Why Every Voice Matters in Our Community

When I moved to Front Royal from Fairfax several years ago, I came for the same reasons many people do: more-affordable housing in an area with abundant natural beauty; a slower, more peaceful pace of life; a sense of community and belonging; the charm of our historic Main Street.

But often, when community issues arise, especially controversial ones, I hear a refrain—sometimes said outright, sometimes just implied—that’s hard to ignore: “Outsiders don’t have roots here and don’t share our town’s values.” Translation: “Transplants from Northern VA don’t belong in the conversation.”

There’s a deeply ingrained idea that only people who were born and raised here, or have lived here “long enough,” have earned a seat at the table. (And just how long is “long enough”? Five years? Ten? Twenty-plus?) Everyone else, regardless of how much they’ve gotten involved or contributed, gets labeled as an outsider, as if our perspectives and priorities are inherently suspect or shouldn’t count for as much.

I think this view is not just unfair; it’s divisive and unproductive. Communities thrive when people care, contribute, and show up. And newcomers often do just that. We made an intentional choice to live here; we’re not just passing through.

We’re making new friends here. We’re voting here. We’re shopping here. We’re visiting the parks, eating at the restaurants, seeing great live music on Main Street, attending workshops and events at Stone Branch Center for the Arts, using Samuels Public Library, going to community events, festivals, and town meetings—all things I have done. Some of us are raising kids here. Our investment is not less real simply because our roots aren’t as deep.

This isn’t about discounting the lived experience of longtime residents. Their deep knowledge of the town’s history and culture is vital. But so is fresh perspective, openness to change, the ability to imagine what the future could look like for all of us.

I’ve been told that people like me want to bring “Northern VA” or “big-city values” to a small town. But what does that really mean? Wanting a well-funded, inclusive public library that “contains something in it to offend everyone,” as the saying goes? Believing in open government and inclusive decision-making? These aren’t “big-city” values; they’re democratic values—community values.

What’s important isn’t where someone came from; it’s whether they care enough to show up. And many of us do. So, please, let’s stop drawing lines between “insiders” and “outsiders.” Let’s start focusing on how we can work together to build a community where everyone has a voice, and where no one is treated like a guest in their own home. Because once you live here, care here, and contribute here—you are from here.

Cara Aldridge Young
Shenandoah District
Front Royal, VA

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