The Our Stillwater dialogue was born out of the concern that the strengths of our community were being overshadowed by bad news.  The feeling was that the negatives were temporary and circumstantial, while the positives were deep-rooted strengths based on lasting values.  The simple solution was to get people in our community to understand these values and talk about them.

An idea evolved to engage our citizens in a community dialogue to remind us of what makes Stillwater a great place to live and work.   To begin that dialogue, an informal research effort asked a variety of citizens of various occupations, ages, races and political affiliations this simple question:  “What makes Stillwater great?”

The responses were studies and it was determined that they fell into some distinct categories, which are presented here in priority order:

1.      Compassion – Stillwater is a friendly, welcoming community whose citizens are involved in caring for one another.

2.      Atmosphere – Stillwater feels like a small town, yet features big-city amenities, enabling quality of life.

3.      Education – Stillwater offers quality education for citizens of all ages.  If an individual wants to learn, Stillwater is the place.

4.      Culture – The people of Stillwater are open and accepting of cultures, ethnicities, political views, etc.  It is a place where you can live out your values and core beliefs.

5.      Cultural – Stillwater offers an exceptional variety of sports, arts, cultural and entertainment events.

Almost every person who responded had a story to share to illustrate why they felt Stillwater is a great place to live and work.  This website is a place for reading and sharing those stories – we invite you to share yours!