He still loves Chaska

Editor’s note: Dr. Leo Parvis, who writes the Herald’s Eye on Diversity column, wrote this column for the Aug. 24, 2000 Herald. In the wake of the city’s “Eighth Best Place to Live” ranking by Money magazine, he requested that we rerun the article.

Chaska touches his ‘heart and soul’

By Leo Parvis

Tired of the congestion, traffic, heat and the humidity of the East Coast (Washington, D.C. area), my wife and I finally decided to move to Minnesota, where we are going to live the rest of our lives close to friends and family.

Yes, the Minnesota which (before the Jesse Ventura legacy) was only remembered for cold weather and many Americans from milder climatic regions. When we settled in Minnetonka last November, we started looking around for a proper location to buy a house.

Every weekend was devoted to searching for peace and tranquility. We toured Mound, Excelsior, Orono, Minnetonka, Deephaven, Chanhassen, Victoria, and Chaska for many weeks.

We visited Chaska four times for it touched my heart and soul. What we saw in Chaska collectively, from the physical environment to the social and cultural setting, being not far away from the Twin Cities metropolitan lifestyle, encouraged us to conclude our search and get acquainted with what we found for life.

Although my wife, of Norwegian descent and a Minnesotan, knew about Chaska from the past, I prefer to call it a new discovery. Chaska reminds me of a European town, with character and dignity. Geographically, the unique prime cities of the world are built alongside or on both sides of a river for which the river is considered to be the essence of life and the source of productivity and survival.

Resting elegantly along the Minnesota River, downtown Chaska brought to my mind the picture of the River Rhine of Germany and the small towns by its sides. These traditional towns are enriched with exquisite landmarks, the glory of the past, and hundreds of years of folkloric treasures.

Inhabitants of these splendid towns celebrate their prospects and rich history and cultures in ways similar to the way Chaska did recently. Any stranger coming to Chaska will notice that the community is in good shape and aiming towards a bright future.

Not hard to observe that this unique community with its cultural diversity, progressive potential, and goals and plans for the generations to come is destined to become a stellar city of the state and one of the finest in the nation. With the same token, interested individuals browsing the community will further find out that the most important elements of the societal framework (namely education, health care, and economic opportunities) are on the agenda and getting the highest priority by the authorities who have abundantly clear visions for tomorrow.

My wife and I (as prospective residents of Chaska) give kudos to the city council and community leaders for the hard work and constant care they provide for the people of Chaska. We look forward to residing in this small, beautiful, and enchanted community.

Should our expertise and ideas be somehow helpful to the community, we would be more than glad to devote our time and energy for the better future of Chaska, the town we are already in love with.

Dr. Leo Parvis is the author of “Understanding Cultural Diversity in Today’s Complex World.” He is also the president of diversitypromotions.com. He is a college professor in Minneapolis and is involved with diversity training, presentations, and consulting for corporate America. He can be reached at drparvis@mn.rr.com.