A community is defined by the land and the people who have chosen to live there

The village of Catalina, in unincorporated Pima County, has grown organically over the last 50 years.  Without the dividing walls of planned subdivisions, our sense of neighbor extends throughout the community, as does our sense of place.  That sense of place isn't determined by a government, a tax base, or statistics, but by the land and the people who have chosen to live here.  This place in the morning shadow of the mountains, and the people drawn to it, ARE Catalina.

For most of us who have chosen this as our home, I'd say freedom was the calling. Whether we felt it in the indomitable spirit of our mountains, in the natural evolution of plant life thru the seasons, or in the open space among our homes, we felt a promise of connection to this place, and freedom to grow and evolve as part of it.

That freedom of expression has created a community which seems to defy being labeled or categorized.  Just as the desert that surrounds us might appear chaotic to people who thrive on order, Catalina might be viewed by some as without plan or definition.

Yet, we are defined.  We are a community of people who believe we have the right to our personal choices of lifestyle and points of view.  Regardless of how we choose to express ourselves, the freedom to do so is the glue that binds us together.  Just as a patchwork quilt is defined by its variation of color and texture, Catalina is defined by its diversity.

We came here to get away from the sensory overload of city life and get closer to the land. We came to get away from the legislated lifestyle of homeowners' associations and live closer to our personal ideals.  We were drawn by an intuitive understanding that "here I can plant myself, and here I can grow".  To grow not in the security offered by sameness, but in an atmosphere of diversity that encourages personal and creative expression.

We've gathered here, a community of strong and capable individualists who have chosen the self-responsibility that comes with freedom of choice, rather than the safety-net of externally imposed ideals.  As friend, Jenny, has said, "Perhaps Catalina was planned by an even higher authority."

May we all thrive where we are planted!

Diane Murphy