It’s been 20 years since my family moved to Naperville, and as I reflect on the last two decades of being a resident, I feel blessed to have found such a great place to call home.
Naperville was just named the second best city to live in America by Niche.com. The online ranking and review site based their selection on public schools, crime, job opportunities, cost of living, and local amenities. At the top of the list was Ann Arbor, which for this Michigan State alumni was a little hard to swallow. But I digress.
When surveys mention Naperville’s ‘amenities,’ they often refer to the Riverwalk, parks, shopping areas, or experiences that offer enjoyment, such as our parades and festivals. All of these make our city a great place to live.
I also think we can count among our many amenities something else that also enhances and amplifies our sense of community: Naperville Community Television, Channel 17, currently celebrating 30 years of broadcasting hyper-local content.
With the demise of local cable-access stations across America, there are few communities who even have a local TV channel anymore, let alone one producing high-quality original content on a daily basis. That’s an asset. With almost 145,000 residents, Naperville is considered a city, but one that takes pride in its small-town charm. Residents want to feel connected to each other and to the institutions that support their community.
At NCTV17 we are dedicated to connecting our community by sharing your stories. Whether that’s the story of a family who turned the tragedy of their son’s death into a mission to give life through organ donations; two local ladies who won the chance to present World Series rings to Cubs players; or how Nalco Water, an Ecolab company, is working to build the water capital of the world right here in Naperville.
Enjoy our Riverwalk, our bustling downtown, our excellent schools, and our dedicated Public Safety. But don’t forget to learn more about all those things and more each day by tuning in to the local television station dedicated to the community you call home.
