Two Kentucky towns 'go undercover' to give each other different perspectives on themselves

Ever wonder what someone from another town might think about yours, and how those first impressions could help you better your community? The Christian County Chamber of Commerce in Hopkinsville, Ky., did, and invited near-neighbors from Henderson to do an "undercover" investigation of their county seat to give them a different perspective of their community. (Wikipedia map: Hopkinsville in red, Henderson, approximately, in blue)

About a dozen Henderson residents traveled to Hopkinsville this summer, anonymously touring the town, taking notes for their report, "1st Impressions." The crew, at least some of whom had never been to the town 72 miles to the south, said during a Chamber meeting last week that they previously thought of Hopkinsville as "crime-ridden and rundown in its older areas," reports Nick Tabor of Hopkinsville'sKentucky New Era. After their visit, they said they were impressed with development and downtown businesses. They also had some suggestions: more locally-owned business should be downtown, and the downtown needs more beautification.

Kentucky New Era graphic by Tom Kane

Tabor reports the Henderson group's recommendations were nothing new to Chamber officials, who have already included the suggestions in the county's strategic plan. Chamber President Carter Hendricks said, "It's good to have validated that the strategies we've been implementing need to continue to be implemented." The chamber has agreed to send volunteers to "go undercover" in Henderson in the future. To see the Henderson group's report, click here (subscription required).

Hopkinsville has a population of almost 32,000, making it the sixth largest city in Kentucky. It's about an hour and 15 minutes north of Nashville and about an hour and a half south of Evansville, Ind., and Henderson. The latter town has a population of 29,000, and was once home to noted ornithologist and painter John James Audubon.