Davidson

The first time we drove down Main Street into Davidson and approached the downtown area, I announced, “This is where we are going to live.” My husband, accustomed to this kind of enthusiasm/dreaming on my part, just gave me his humoring-her nod and grin, said, “Sure we are,” and kept driving. That first time, the first weekend in October when we moved my husband to the Charlotte area, it was almost dark¬—but even in the twilight, I could see the possibilities. I could just make out wide-slung porches with rockers, painted shutters, mature trees and gardens and what I considered to be welcoming, twinkling lights throughout.

The next time we visited, in early November, we caught the Saturday morning Farmers’ Market, with the requisite cute dogs and cuter kids. At first, I thought the market looked rather small, but it didn’t take long to find it had all the local goods one would expect to find. Then, my heart took a little jump, as I overheard a trendy young mom speaking fluent French to the handsome French bakery owner. Why did my heart skip a beat? Because, in my own very shallow way, I was finding not only picturesque scenes in this small town, but Culture! French speakers could only mean Culture… if I had overheard German speakers, I probably would have thought, Gemütlichkeit! Or Italian? Old World Cuisine! Rounding out the perfect little market? A weekly dose of homespun tunes played by a rotating band of talented local musicians. What more could a girl ask for?



So, why the French? Again in my shallowness, I immediately credit the institute of higher learning, Davidson College, which lives right across the street. Now it all begins to fall into place and make sense to me: the combo of small-town charm and urban-trendy cool (original brick storefronts housing upscale bistros and gift shops) is due to the presence of the college. A small, nationally recognized and highly selective liberal arts college established in 1837, Davidson has the look that high school seniors envision when they picture themselves in September of the following year—complete with the tree-lined commons area and classical architecture.

Spring on the Davidson College Campus, a photo by melystu on Flickr.
We keep driving. A classical public radio station? A community theater? I think someone must have customized this town just for me. Spring and summer Concerts on the Green? Really nice, but not entirely unexpected. A Public Art Commission? Very cool and… less expected. But a Healthy Living/Wellness Supervisor? In a town of less than 10,000? Now that is totally unexpected.

Add these amenities to quaint and old (it’s been around since the mid 1800s) and I am so there!

Fast forward to this June Saturday: we have another lovely visit to the market, but upon our departure, realize we have a flat tire. Not a huge crisis—we are on a side street, have cell phones and AAA coverage. As if I didn’t like the area enough to begin with: in less than ten minutes, at least seven people have stopped to offer us assistance, even though we are obviously unharmed and on our phone calling for help. And one was a darling college guy in dreads, who said, “Are you kids doing ok?” Us, kids? Davidson, I think I love you!

City of Davidson

Davidson College

WDAV Public Radio

Davidson Community Players

Special thanks to Melinda Stuart for permission to use her beautiful photo montage of Davidson College