Andy Griffith based Mayberry on his hometown of Mt. Airy, NC. The TV version was a friendly place where everyone got along and life slowed down. Mt. Airy was idealized of course, but the town was probably not too far off the mark. What it is like now I cannot say. It is not too far off of I-77, which was not there when Andy grew up.
Marion is a county seat in the southeastern US. It is set between the Atlantic coast and Piedmont. Williamstown is the cultural center of the state. The movers and shakers are there,m and venture out only when necessary. No longer the state capital, the city nonetheless exerts a major influence and lets everyone know it.
Since Marion is in the hinterlands, it struggles. They have chosen to be a big fish in a little pond. Everyone gets along since everyone knows their place. People generally are kind to each other, but there are limits to the kindness. African Americans do not face overt discrimination; individually, they may become friends, but old tensions linger. Outsiders move in but experience the stigma of being newcomers who really of course have no roots.
Things change in the first decade of the 21st Century. The Internet, talk radio, and combative politics wear down the facade of politeness. As the filters fall off, Marion and Beaumont County change for the worse. The question is whether the trend will be checked or allowed to continue, shattering the old ways. And what will replace it? What role will the Botleys have?
Coming soon on Blurb!
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