More Procrastination: Summer in the Municipality

Thursday, August 03, 2006

Summer in the Municipality

I suppose I live in a town. It seems to meet the criteria offered by various online dictionaries:

An area that is more densely populated or developed than the surrounding area
an administrative division of a county
A population center that is larger than a village and smaller than a city.
an urban area with a fixed boundary that is smaller than a city
1. Of, relating to, or located in a city.
2. Characteristic of the city or city life.

So a town is a city that is too small to be a city. What does it take to qualify as a city?

A center of population, commerce, and culture; a town of significant size and importance.

We have population (more than I'd be able to feed), commerce (a couple hundred shops, and a public market twice a week), but is this a center of culture? Of course! We have schools (public and private, pre-school through high school, and a technical school), a mediathèque (a library with digital recordings, too, and Internet terminals), a nicely renovated theater, and annual musical festivals ("music and humor" in the spring, and folk music and dance from around the world in August). I should add mention of museums and occasional art exhibits. Places of worship, too!

Some recent sightings:

A former production facility has been converted to the Franco-Turkish Cultural Association.
	During the heat wave, the municipal theater served as a public shelter (for those who couldn't or wouldn't spend their afternoons in a supermarket)--translation: "!Heat wave! Air conditioned theater open to the public 2:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m."
A water fountain in the center of town flows with water that is drinkable!