Steubenville isn't always an easy place to live, let alone love. Like any city, it's impossible to mark off every single item on your Perfect Place to Call ‘Home’ checklist. Whether the taxes are too high, there aren't enough parks, your family lives too far away, there's no Chipotle, your family lives too close, the theater isn't within walking distance, or no one teaches yoga in your neighborhood, if you are looking, you will inevitably find some fault with every community you set foot in. So how do you ever settle down and call a place home? How does the place you live become the place you want to stay? Maybe you’re doing it wrong, maybe your standards are crazy high, maybe you’re just crazy (we don’t want to point fingers), but according to Melody Warnick, author of This Is Where You Belong, if you adopt the habits of people who genuinely love where they live, you won’t be able to avoid becoming at least partially attached to your town.

1. Walk More

Steubenville is quite possibly the most walkable town within a 30 mile radius, and we should be taking advantage of that! While massive cities are reworking their metropolis areas in order to market them as walkable, we’re over here complaining that there isn’t enough parking downtown and we’re forced to walk MAYBE a block to reach our destination. Have you noticed the dozens of staircases that lead from downtown to hilltop neighborhoods? This city was built with walkers in mind!

And just how does walking more make you love your city? For one, people who walk are healthier - they’re less likely to be overweight, to struggle with diabetes or high blood pressure. People who walk regularly are better at creative thinking. They’re more likely to volunteer and trust their neighbors. They have more energy. They generally feel better about their lives, and on principle, feeling good in general translates over to feeling good about where you live.

Walking also gives you a unique opportunity to notice things you wouldn’t normally - for instance, a pocket park squeezed between two skyscrapers, a random work of art by a talented street artist, or a decorative building facade from the mid 1800s. Plus, if you’re new to the area, there’s no better way to learn your way around! Take some time to determine which of your regular destinations are within reasonable walking distance (note: it only takes an average of 15 minutes to walk a mile) and make an effort to go out and explore your city on foot at least once a week.

1. Buy Local

We’re sorry, Walmart doesn’t count. These low-price chain stores only offer a short-term victory for a city. One study suggests that for every new job Walmart creates in a town, it eliminates 1.4 jobs locally as other stores are driven out of business, and it forces down wages city wide. We’ve already seen in Steubenville how big-name retail can eventually ruin a community’s tax base and drive it’s main street business district into ruin. In most cities, just 14 percent of a chain retailer’s revenue is returned to the local economy, whereas about 52 percent of revenue from a locally owned business stays local.

Spending your money at local businesses is one way to help Steubenville thrive economically and to improve your own quality of life where you live. You start buying items from small independent stores owned by people who live here and all of a sudden more locals have jobs. The city then collects more taxes, so the schools have more money for improvements. All those potholes get filled and the Parks and Recreation department is able to afford a Belleview pool makeover. Everyone wins!

Before you decide that buying local costs too much, think of the extra benefits, like advice, free gift-wrapping, new friends, and guaranteed support of local charities!

1. Get to know your neighbors

Brief confession: I know next to nothing about this one, having grown up on a farm where my closest “neighbors” ate food from a trough all day and their home smelled like a pigsty. Oh wait…

On a more serious note though, neighbors are so important to loving where you live. If you don’t live near family, they’re the closest network of humans you can call on for emergencies, and if they don’t know you...well there’s a good chance they won’t be concerned that you haven’t emerged from your house for weeks on end. If you’re new to the area, neighbors are likely the first potential friends you’ll meet. Elderly neighbors often carry centuries’ worth of local history in them that they’re only too happy to share with you. Young neighbors are suckers for money and need more grass to cut to keep them out of trouble anyways. Not to list all the fantastic benefits of neighbors, but who else will pet-sit, house-sit, baby-sit, carpool, bring fresh brownies at random, and shovel your front walk before you even wake up on a winter morning? It’s also important to know your neighbors so you know, well, who to tell your kids to steer clear of. The more eyes and ears that are aware in a space, the safer it is. Strong neighborhoods are the basis of a strong community city-wide, and Steubenville needs your help. Do your part!

1. Do fun stuff

“There’s nothing to do in Steubenville…” you whine, as you scoot across the floor on your face, throwing away yet another opportunity for an epic Friday night. If you’re like me and you’ve been here your whole life, there’s a solid chance you’ve ignored many of the recreational options Steubenville has to offer, and instead, “fun” is this thing you go to Pittsburg for. Or Wheeling. Or Netflix. Or really anywhere except here. Granted, sometimes “fun” in Steubenville requires you to get creative or adventurous, but joyful experiences leave a lasting impression in our minds about a physical location. Naturally you don’t love it here, you’ve never had fun here.

So what fun stuff can one do in Steubenville? Go to local sports events, visit the Jefferson County Historical Museum and Public Library, go antique shopping, tour the Historic Fort Steuben, walk across the Market Street Bridge, attend the free summer concerts at the Louis Berkman Amphitheater, participate in local 5Ks, join the swing dancers and karaoke prodigies every week at Froehlich's, or break out that old guitar and play on a random street corner, just to name a few. There’s also at least a half dozen annual festivals that have killer entertainment schedules - a couple of crazy hipsters even brought back 20s-style dance marathons this year! Steubenville is practically Gilmore Girls’ Stars Hollow!

1. Explore Nature

Communing with nature is basically a combination of 1 and 4. It’s healthy, it’s environmentally friendly, it’s fun and it’s one of those great things where, if you do it with people you love, you’ll subconsciously associate that place with a good time. Maybe you don’t like the city itself, but it’s hard to deny the beauty that nature has to offer in this area. If you’re the classic hiker/runner, Steubenville contains thirteen city parks and numerous green spaces that are just waiting to be explored. There’s also the Steubenville Country Club, Union and Mt. Calvary Cemeteries, and the marina, which is itself a work in progress, but the riverfront trail there is gorgeous. What’s more, we’re less than 30 minutes from Fernwood State Forest, Raccoon Creek State Park, Friendship Park, and Jefferson Lake State Park. Join the Steubenville 5K Club for a little more incentive to lace up those shoes and hit the trails!

If you’re into biking, Steubenville has the only bridge between East Liverpool and Wheeling that’s safe for bike traffic, which is why U.S. Bike Route 50 cuts directly through the city. There’s a bike trail just across the river that you can take from Weirton to Pittsburgh. There’s another one that goes from Follansbee to Wheeling (which only takes an hour or so). Take on the Cross-State Challenge, bring your kids along for the Steubenville Heritage Trail Ride, or find your own unique route (if you’re completely uncreative, here’s a few to get you started).

Steubenville also happens to be directly on the Ohio River, a natural resource that every town except Steubenville takes advantage of. Kayaking, canoeing, boating, fishing, and swimming are just a few of the many opportunities afforded by this natural landmark.

1. Volunteer

That’s right. That thing you haven’t done since high school when it was a requirement to graduate. If you’re going to love where you live, make an effort to love the people there. And there’s no need to spend countless hours in a soup-kitchen, feeling miserable about all the fun things you could be doing instead. Volunteering can just as easily be something you love. Volunteer to coach track for the Steuben Striders during the summer. Volunteer to paint life-size nutcrackers for the Steubenville Nutcracker Village. Volunteer to plant flowers in empty green spaces. Pick up trash on that weekly walk you’re taking now, help your elderly neighbor carry out her trash, read stories to underprivileged children at the Public Library, offer to lead a group of middle-schoolers on a Saturday hiking trip, perform random acts of kindness, the possibilities are endless!

Think of Steubenville as an extension of your own home - no one else is going to walk in and think, “I should vacuum the floor,” or “the dishes need to be washed,” or “I’ll sweep the front porch.” Sure, there are government employees who are paid to do some maintenance, but if you’ve ever worked with the government, you know they aren’t at your beck and call. We are the city of Steubenville, this town is our responsibility, and we have to take care of our home. Instead of complaining about all the things that aren’t being done, offer it up and do it yourself.

The cycle goes something like this: you volunteer, so your town becomes better, which makes it easier to love, which makes you more attached to your town. As Abraham Lincoln said, “I like to see a man proud of the place in which he lives. I like to see a man live in it so that his place will be proud of him.”

Added bonus: Volunteering is a fantastic opportunity to meet like-minded individuals and form lifelong friendships!

1. Eat local

Whoooo! Eating! Finally something we all enjoy! In Steubenville, we sometimes tend to think there’s a limited variety of restaurants, but according to the list provided by the Steubenville Stimulus Project, we’ve basically got everything except Indian food. Eating local benefits the community the same way buying local does - the money stays local and following that paper trail, you win in the end! It’s also a great way to feel included in the community, particularly if you’re introverted and not the type to make friends easily. Becoming a regular at a coffee shop or bar increases your chances of meeting new people, and even if no one speaks to you, you’ll at least find comfort in the company of familiar strangers.

Steubenville also has two farmer’s markets, so you can stock up on healthy supplies for the week, instead of paying for sub-par frozen vegetables that were grown who-knows-where who-knows-when. Sure, Aldi has everything, and it’s fast and cheap too, but wouldn’t you like to tell your hipster friends that you only eat local maple syrup and local honey and local popcorn and local everything? That might be pretentious, but it’s a totally attainable goal! You could also plant a garden, which is a fine way to get in touch with the local growing season and planting cycles, and probably the cheapest and healthiest way to eat local!

1. Become more political

Let’s be honest for a minute - do you even know who the councilman is for your ward? He should be your number one guy when it comes to your issues with the city. He should be that guy that sees it before facebook does. Knowing who runs your city and how they do it is a great way to feel more attached to your city.

That being said, find the mayor and city councilors on facebook, so you can keep up first-hand with their actions around Steubenville. Attend a city council meeting if you’ve never been (they’re actually quite entertaining sometimes). Run for an elected city office or just volunteer on a committee or city board. You would be surprised how grateful Steubenville can be for the input of citizens. If there’s something driving you crazy - a pothole, an abandoned building - respectfully bring that issue up to your local leaders. And remember to tell them when there’s something in town that you love. They don’t live just to hear you talk crap about their efforts. This will make their day and you’ll feel amazing.

1. Create something new

As a fairly active community member, people often tell me “you should start a [fill in the blank] in Steubenville.” This brings two thoughts to mind every time I hear it:

1. I am beyond pleased that locals are beginning to express their desire to see improvements in town that would help them love where their live. Plus, it’s a decent ego-boost when someone thinks you’re capable of starting X Steubenville tradition.

2. After ALL I’VE DONE and you want MORE?! I feel like at this point, I’ve made some significant efforts, and I would honestly like to see other citizens take up leadership positions, instead of being relatively unappreciative followers.

You still hate Steubenville because there’s no yoga class taught on your street? Someone hasn’t created a sidewalk chalk-art festival? No one else is lobbying for a street hockey league? Make it happen. Seriously, if there is a void in the offerings of this city, no one is more suited to take up that calling than you. Literally the only reason any other town has what you want is because someone just like you started it. So the next time you think, “ someone should start this…” go out and do just that.

1. Stay loyal through hard times

Many cities go through natural disasters or national tragedies, while others suffer through tough economic times. It’s important to realize that being a citizen isn’t always a walk in the park. It’s understandably difficult to stick around during hard times, no matter what the cause or place, but holding on through those times is what makes the citizens of a town a community.

It’s paramount for citizens of Steubenville to recognize that the thing that changes a town isn’t what defines it. What changed Steubenville from a booming steel town to a near ghost town? Industry left and we never recovered. We should embrace that part of our history, push through the growing pains of transforming this city’s depression, and remember that Steubenville doesn’t have to be a steel town to be a real town.