T
hey say everything is
bigger in Texas. While that
may be true, some of the
best things in Texas are
quite small. Case in point:
tiny Mount Vernon, a town of just un-
der 3,000 people tucked in the state’s
northeast corner, about 100 miles from
Dallas. You probably haven’t heard of
it, unless maybe you like to fish for
bass and know about Lake Cypress
Springs, twice named the prettiest lake
in the state by D Magazine. But if you
do stumble upon Mount Vernon, you
might just get a notion to stay.
That happens a lot around here, and
it’s worth noting how remarkable that
is. Across the country, small towns
have become an endangered species.
According to the U.S. Census Bureau,
half of rural communities have fewer
residents today than they did in 2000.
But the population in and around
Franklin County, where Mount Vernon
is the county seat, is projected to grow
by 7.4 percent in the next five years.
What’s the source of Mount Vernon’s
magic? Actually, there are a few.
One is the boomerangs—folks who
grew up here but moved away, only to
realize they missed their hometown’s
unique sense of community. “My hus-
band and I lived in Austin for a decade
before I convinced him to come home
with me,” says Lauren Lewis, a manager
for a local restaurant and construction
company. “I missed having that sense
of place that comes with living in a
town where you know everyone. Manyof my closest friends have parents that
are my parents’ friends, and our grand-
parents even hung out together. We
grow strong roots here!”
Tom Wilkinson was born in Mount
Vernon 87 years ago and moved back
after he retired from his career as a
college English professor in Dallas.
Like many of his neighbors, Wilkin-
son can trace his ancestors back to the
pioneers who settled here in the 1870s.
And like many, he values the simple
life you can’t easily find in the big city.
“People are still polite; they hold thedoor open for you,” he says, “especially
if you’re old and crotchety, though I
like to think I’m not crotchety.”
But there are plenty of new names
in the Mount Vernon booster club,
and they’ve given the place a jolt of
energy. Greg Ostertag landed here
after 11 seasons in the NBA, mostly
with the Utah Jazz. The towering
seven-foot-two-inch former center
grew up near Dallas and had settled
in Scottsdale, Arizona. But he told
his wife, Shannon Ostertag, on their
very first date that he wanted to move
back to Texas and become a gentle-
man farmer. (They both smirk at the
term gentleman, as Greg likes to goofMOUNT VERNON HAS
THE KIND OF BIG
HEARTS YOU FIND IN
A SMALL TOWN.Reader’s Digest
★★★★★★★
98 july/august 2019