Community Spotlight: Annika Kristiansen, On Living Rurally in the West End

In her own words, Annika is a yogi, trail runner, mother, and backyard chicken keeper with a thriving garden. A Telluride ex-pat, she sought out Norwood for its deep-rooted values—supporting one another through thick and thin, regardless of background, politics, or beliefs. Born and raised on the East Coast, with Norwegian and Ashkenazi Jewish heritage, she found her home in this tight-knit community of powerful, resourceful women who are all learning how to “do it themselves”—living sustainably, locally, and with intention.

The Community Builders team heard about Annika early on as we started our work in the West End. As the 4H coordinator she is a well-liked community connector to the agricultural community and local youth, and someone we knew we wanted to connect with. She was also on maternity leave, so we held off for the time being. A few months and many trips to the West End later, Project Manager Mackinzi Taylor stumbled upon this piece while reading through the San Miguel Basin Forum. It was like a light bulb had gone off. This is what we’d been trying to put into words for months: the power and presence of values in the West End and the strength of a community that looks out for each other in the absence of other resources. 

We finally met Annika in Naturita at the West End Solutions Group on an unseasonably warm February day, and she was every bit as thoughtful and engaging as expected. When we asked about her inspiration for the article, she shared:

“I wrote this piece as a call to action. As the political landscape grows more divisive, we must hold fast to our true values—the ones shaped by our lives, not imposed upon us by politicians, social media, or the endless news cycle. The outside world demands our attention, but now more than ever, we must resist that pull, turn inward, and focus on each other. Rural is the future. As the world looks to us for solutions—how to live sustainably, build resilient communities, and care for both our people and our planet—it’s up to us to lead the way.”

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I grew up on a small farm in rural New England with a couple of sheep, some chickens, and two friendly house cats. My mother, a feisty and tough 120-pound-soaking-wet Norwegian, made soap, butchered our chickens and sheep, and canned her garden’s tomatoes. This lifestyle was an oddity, even where I grew up, and I remember my friends thinking our homestead and ways were somewhere between ingenious, crazy, far-out, and super cool.

I’ve always been painfully aware of what it means to live rurally. Looking back, some of my closest friends as a young child lived in the poorest of conditions, surrounded by breathtaking natural beauty yet starved of the resources needed to address their deepest struggles. Depressed mothers. Alcoholic fathers. Personal trauma that festered in silence. Even access to healthy food was often out of reach, despite living in a place where land stretched endlessly under the sun. It’s ironic, isn’t it? To grow up in the country, a place that promises abundance, but so often leaves its people with the least.

And yet, living in the country is also a profound strength. It teaches you to be resourceful, to make something out of nothing, and to lean on the strength of your neighbors when your own falters. It’s a life rooted in community and resilience, where every season reminds you that hardship is as inevitable as renewal. The land itself holds lessons in perseverance, and in that raw, unpolished existence, there’s a beauty that binds people together. There is a rhythm to rural life, a heartbeat that is attuned to the land and the seasons, to neighbors and necessity. 

The world today feels unsteady—climate change is disrupting ecosystems, wars over water and resources loom, and politics seem to widen divides rather than bridge them. But in rural areas, the ties that bind people are different. Politics are not the cornerstone of rural identity; relationships, ideas, and shared values are. When your closest neighbor lives miles away, you learn to rely on each other regardless of party lines. When winter snows make roads impassable, it doesn’t matter how you voted—you shovel your neighbor’s driveway because that’s what keeps the community moving forward.

Rural life has always been about finding strength in simplicity and leaning into the collective goodness of people. It’s about showing up for a neighbor whose barn needs repair or bringing a casserole to a family in mourning. It’s in the potluck dinners at the church basement, the volunteer fire departments, and the unspoken agreement that in times of hardship, everyone steps in to do their part. In the face of adversity, it’s not power or politics but the simple acts of kindness and cooperation that make all the difference.

We may face an uncertain future, but the lessons embedded in rural life—adaptability, resourcefulness, and a deep sense of community—are the tools we need to navigate it. And in these small pockets of the world, where politics don’t matter but people’s hearts and goodness do, there is hope for all of us. Together, rural communities will band together and show the resilience it takes to not just survive but thrive.

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Annika’s words capture the core of what makes the West End special—hard work, resourcefulness, and a deep commitment to looking out for one another. These are the very values that have emerged through four months of engagement for the West End Vision Project.

In a rapidly changing world, shared values are what keep us grounded. They shape how we grow, how we face challenges, and how we preserve the things that make the West End home. They’re the Community Builders’ secret sauce for helping community members cut through the noise and talk to each other about what really matters. As we move forward in this process, these values will serve as our foundation, ensuring that the future the West End builds, with the help of advocates like Annika, is one that reflects who they are as a community.

For more information on the West End Vision Project, please check out our Facebook page.