Every time I travel, I can’t turn off my community and economic development hat.

I have my internal checklist and list of questions for each place I visit: What assets does it have? What is the predominant economy? How much is tourism? When were its commercial and residential neighborhoods built? Who can afford to live there?

My husband and I recently spent time in a town and took an inventory. Historic downtown? Check. Theaters? Check. Local restaurants and shops? Check. Trails and natural resources in the area? Check. Density of housing within the city? Check. Beach? Check. Wineries, breweries, and cideries? Bonus check.

Scrolling through Zillow, I was surprised to see houses for sale within a mile of those assets within the reach of an average household, much below the average for any waterfront community in Michigan that I am familiar with.

When we were in that town, my husband commented that, growing up, that is always the type of place where he dreamed of living. Being able to walk down to the beach with a paddleboard in hand. Being able to bike to work and not have an hour commute. Being able to afford to live where we work.

When I describe that place, do any places come to mind?

Would you think I am describing Alpena?

From a bird’s-eye view, Alpena ticks off all the boxes as a place most dream of living. Yet, somehow, those that live here tend to see Alpena as less than a sum of its parts.

I bet you are using this as a stepping stone to a bigger city. I bet you and your husband won’t stay here long. How much longer do you really think you’ll be staying here? Comments I frequently hear from people that both live here and don’t.

As my husband, who is not from here, has noticed: Alpena really has a self-confidence issue. A concept reinforced by those living here and those from afar with comments and questions like those.

In most places I have traveled to, I would not be able to afford to live in the community in which I work or in such proximity to natural and cultural resources. The places that are walkable and have rich resources are not affordable for the average household (or average millennial). The places that are affordable either lack the resources that create a high quality of life or would require a hefty commute to get to.

Our town is not bereft of problems nor a perfect place to live, and it cannot compare to the diversity and opportunity that larger cities can provide.

But, in my travels, there are few other small towns that have the assets and the infrastructure we do that have retained their character and protected the quality of life for its residents without being engulfed by tourism or suburbanization that have rendered that place unaffordable and unrecognizable.

“When I talk about being a community revitalization strategist, it’s all about recognizing that their assets in the community, most notably the people that are born and raised there, and that they have been often led to believe that they need to measure success by how far they get away from their communities,” Majora Carter, the author of “Reclaiming Your Community: You Don’t Have to Move Out of Your Community To Live in a Better One,” stated in an interview for Afro Tech.

Visiting other places reiterates that it is a privilege to live in a place where such a high quality of life is attainable.

It is a privilege to live in the community where we work, close to beaches, trails, a historic downtown, cultural and artistic organizations, an institute of higher education, and, yes, a cidery, brewery, and winery.

Yet many still measure success by how far we can get away from here.

Growing up here, it was never my goal to move back, but my position was too good of an opportunity to pass up. My husband and I are fortunate to have found meaningful jobs in this small town that checks many of the boxes on my checklist and has somehow — perhaps because of its industrial character or distance from a freeway — retained its small-town identity and remained relatively affordable.

That is not a given moving in the future, and something we need to prepare and plan for.

I see more people moving to our area who are actively choosing to be here, and many of whom weren’t born and raised here. Yes, Alpena is lucky to have them.

But, mostly, they are lucky to be able to call this place home.

Anne Gentry graduated from Brown University with a degree in comparative literature and has studied in Italy and South Australia. She is currently executive director of the Alpena Downtown Development Authority.