Why We Started Our Local 717

I’ve lived in a few big cities — New York, Dallas — places where everything moves fast, where you can find anything you want at any hour of the day. But no matter how much I enjoyed the energy, I always missed something I couldn’t quite put into words.

It wasn’t the quiet, or the open space, or even the fresh air (though those are hard to beat). It was the feeling of belonging somewhere. The kind of feeling you get when the barista knows your name, when you bump into a friend at the grocery store, or when your neighbor brings over extra tomatoes from their garden.

That’s what I missed about home. That’s what I missed about the 717.

When I finally came back, I realized something else had changed while I was gone: local news wasn’t really local anymore. The papers were thinner, the stories fewer, and what was left often felt like bad news on repeat. It just didn’t capture the heartbeat of this place — the good, the ordinary, the people doing small things that make a big difference.

So we started Our Local 717 to bring that back.
To tell the stories that make you proud to live here.
To spotlight the small businesses that keep our neighborhoods alive.
To remind all of us that this region isn’t just a place to live — it’s a community worth celebrating.

Every edition is built with love for this area — the towns, the traditions, and the people who make it feel like home. We want Our Local 717 to be the email you actually look forward to opening. Something that reconnects you, in small but meaningful ways, to the place we all share.

Because this is home. And home deserves better stories.