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Editorial: A sense of place

So, where do you live?

Residents living next door to each another may have totally different answers to that question.

For instance, one might say, “I live in Perrin.” Another may say “I reside in Hayes,” while a third would tell you he’s a proud resident of Guinea. A fourth might simply respond “Gloucester.” Thing is, all of them would be correct.

For those living in Gloucester or Mathews, place identity is a personal thing. Some identify with the traditional post office name, even if it hasn’t been a working post office in years. There are people around who say they live in Blakes or James Store or Signpine, even if their mail were addressed that way, it would probably end up in the dead letter office.

Others may choose to align themselves with their post office address, although identifiers such as Hayes cover everything from the White Marsh area down to Guinea, and someone living on Gwynn’s Island could find themselves saying they live in Hudgins.

We live in a mishm...

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