Shirley and Jim Cortada, a New York native, chose to settle in a small town after he retired. Ten years before that, the couple methodically listed the pros and cons of every community within a 100-mile radius of Washington. The town of Orange received the highest score. In 1962, they bought a two-story frame house just off Main Street, and then moved into it eight years later when Jim retired. The strength that I have discovered in the grass-roots organization in this country's knack for organization is almost unbelievable.
Internal organization is so damn strong.
Every civic organization reflects the spirit of democracy and the belief that the way to get things accomplished is through teamwork, Cortada said. In every community group, management has to respond to the will of its members. The American genius is one of organization. Cortada, who spoke Middle Eastern languages and wrote books about Spanish and Portuguese history, could have lived the past three decades in a more exotic place with a stronger intellectual climate. But Jim Cortada found what he was looking for an American small town where people join together and get things done.