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CNN Live At Daybreak
U.S. Population Center Proud of Small-Town Qualities
Aired June 14, 2001 - 08:15 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
COLLEEN MCEDWARDS, CNN ANCHOR: Just in case it slipped your mind, today is Flag Day. It's probably on your little calendar, if you look at it. It's the 140th time that it has been observed. The first one was 1861.
CAROL LIN, CNN ANCHOR: And then in 1877, Congress ordered the flag be flown over public buildings.
One of those buildings is the post office in Edgar Springs, Missouri.
CNN national correspondent Eileen O'Connor tells us why it's such a special place.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
EILEEN O'CONNOR, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): There's something quintessentially middle American about this place.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Edgar Springs Post Office. This is Betty. May I help you?
O'CONNOR: Like the way everyone knows everybody's name.
CHARLIE BREMMER: Everybody seems to be good friendly people. That's what I like.
O'CONNOR: Good things come to good people. That's how people here feel about Edgar Springs being named the population center of the United States by the Census Bureau, even though the population here is only 190.
O'CONNOR (on camera): Edgar Springs used to have a couple of banks and at least a couple of grocery stores, but now there are more graves in the cemetery than there are people in this town.
(voice-over): But Edgar Springs has been determined to be the point where an imaginary map of the United States would balance if all 281,421,906 citizens stood up in their houses. The point has moved over 1,000 miles, mostly westward, just like the population, since 1790.
Viola Johnson, the owner of Hot Lips Restaurant (ph), thought it was a joke at first. VIOLA JOHNSON, RESTAURANT OWNER: I said it's crazy. There ain't nothing here. There can't be.
O'CONNOR: Some souvenirs and a plaque put in by the Census people are about all the hoopla there's been.
O'CONNOR (on camera): What do you think about Edgar Springs being named population center?
ROY DAVIDSON: Oh, it's dandy.
KIM HOAK: I hope it, you know, raises it up and gives it some oomph.
O'CONNOR: What has it done for the town?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Well, so far, not a lot.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: There you go.
O'CONNOR (voice-over): Betty Kinder is postmistress. She's not sure if being population center will do much except boost civic pride.
BETTY KINDER, POSTMISTRESS: It's just a rural area. The bigger towns have caused a degeneration of the businesses here in town, which has happened all over the country because of people leaving their homes for jobs.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: OK, do you have anything on him?
O'CONNOR (voice-over): Kim Wilson works at the local market when she isn't volunteering as mayor.
MAYOR KIM WILSON, EDGAR SPRINGS, MISSOURI: There have been some reporters that have made it sound like we're trapped here, we can't get out, but I think most of the people who live here live here because they choose to.
O'CONNOR: And they say they choose to because of the people.
KINDER: Everybody helps everybody. I mean it's a real caring community.
O'CONNOR: And a good place to raise children...
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You know your kids are safe. We hope everything stays that way.
O'CONNOR: Despite their newfound fame.
Eileen O'Connor, CNN, Edgar Springs, Missouri.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
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