Places that we do not care about have become desolate. There are parks and plazas that have been built that no one uses. They are beautiful places but are never used. When people try to fix them or make them usable, the architect or the city usually complains and nothing is ever done. People in other cultures go to these unused places on their own. There does not have to be a fair going on to use these places.

 We have built cities and towns that we do not care about, because the past couple of decades all people wanted were houses and towns to call their own. There was never any thought put into slowing down or maximizing the area we already use.  For example, the Lincoln-Way schools in Frankfort, Illinois prove this point really well. There used to be only two Lincoln-Way schools now there are four. The last one they built is enormous and is only half-way full. How can a multi-million dollar school be built and half of it is used.

My hometown of Orland Hills, Illinois is a place worth caring about. We are a small town in the south suburbs of Chicago. We are only about five thousand people in population. There have been no major crimes in Orland Hills history even when it was named West Haven.  The town has developed its youth baseball and football programs into really good teams. The town is a great place to raise a family. The biggest place in my town is Super Wal-Mart. The town does many things for the residents. They redo streets every year and put on events. One major even is for the fourth of July. It is the weekend before the fourth. No other town I know does this. The celebration is all weekend long. There are live bands and many festivities for people of all ages.

The major reason why Orland Hills is worth protecting is because of the people. The residents would do anything they could for another resident. During the winter, there are always the younger children out shovels the elderly peoples driveways and sidewalks. During a real bad snowstorm, local snowplow trucks helped the city keep the streets cleaned. During the spring, summer, and fall, the children are out mowing the lawns of the elderly. Everyone knows they do not need to help but they still do. It is like an unwritten law that you will help out Orland Hills people. Many people do not respect Orland Hills as a town because we are so small. We are small but we are also a close knit town that always stays together.