Community Corner

Dispatches: The Changing American Dream

'Dispatches' will be built upon compelling stories we unearth in Reston and across all of our nearly 900 Patch sites.


We're excited to inaugurate a new series for our Patch Readers: Dispatches: The Changing American Dream.

Every day, the national media is full of stories about how American families, businesses, and neighbors are adjusting to these trying times. There are so many changes happening so fast that it's dizzying: national debates about unemployment, foreclosures, debt, religion, government and private enterprise all touch on fundamental ways in which we see ourselves and our communities.

At Patch, we want to explore that conversation on a daily basis so we can better understand how our neighbors are adjusting to the challenges and opportunities that surround us.

We don't think there's one American Dream, but a multitude of American Dreams which a multitude of people are working toward. Looking out across nearly almost 900 Patch sites, we see businesses holding their breath deciding whether to expand; college graduates returning home because they can't find jobs; and senior citizens bringing boarders into their homes to help pay their bills.

Find out what's happening in Restonwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

We also see bold new volunteer efforts, inspiring stories of local businesses that succeed because they innovated, and locals who've taken these trying times as a signal to engage more, not less, in their government.

At the purely local level, we want to know where we, as Reston neighbors, fit along these fault lines.

Find out what's happening in Restonwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

In Fairfax County, unemployment is 5 percent - well below the national average of 9.2 percent. It  is mostly business as usual for the government-supported tech industry, so it seems this region isn't as affected as most. There is a still a line at Reston Town Center's Apple Store and it is still hard to get a table at the pricey restaurants.

Yet Reston Interfaith reported a rise in people asking for rent and food assistance in the last year. Lots of new grads are working at Starbucks and affordable housing is becoming harder to find, so there is evidence of a changing American dream right here.

We're part of Fairfax County, which has had to struggle with its own budget cuts and a public school system dealing with growing enrollment and a shrinking pool of money.

"Dispatches" will be built upon the compelling vignettes and snapshots we unearth across all of our Patch sites. Surely there are good stories to tell right here.

Of course, we want your help: Tell us what issues and what stories in Reston go to the heart of your American Dream. What concerns you? What do you worry about for the future?


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