About the show

You’ve heard of middle America. Big Towns is a conversation for mid-sized America: places too big to be small towns and too small to be big cities. A two-day summit in Lafayette, Louisiana, Big Towns brings together leaders from around the country, hosting conversations with big thinkers about mid-sized city stuff like housing, healthcare, work and quality of life. We help mid-sized cities find ideas that fit.

Big Towns on social media

Episodes

  • Episode 3: Zoning, Banks and Goat Rodeos: What it takes to lead a Big Town

    July 17th, 2025  |  Season 1  |  20 mins 46 secs
    access to capital, affordable housing, big towns, chattanooga, civic leadership, local economy, local journalism, mayor tim kelly, zoning reform

    The third and final part of our conversation between Dean Baquet and Chattanooga, Tennessee Mayor Tim Kelly (including audience Q&A) was recorded April 24, 2025 at Big Towns in Lafayette, Louisiana.

  • Episode 2: It’s About Agency: Turning Coca-Cola into wine

    July 17th, 2025  |  Season 1  |  21 mins 45 secs
    chattanooga housing, community foundation, early childhood development, economic challenges., efficient government, eviction prevention, federal support, leadership, local food movement, neighborhood services, organizational management, philanthropy, police reform, public health, tourism

    The second of a three-part conversation between Dean Baquet and Chattanooga, Tennessee Mayor Tim Kelly, Episode 2 was recorded April 24, 2025 at Big Towns in Lafayette, Louisiana.

  • Episode 1: Eye on the Sparrow: Why divided economies fail

    July 17th, 2025  |  Season 1  |  22 mins 20 secs
    america, chattanooga, city, localism, mayor, racial inequality, south, tennessee, town

    The first of a three-part conversation between Dean Baquet and Chattanooga, Tennessee Mayor Tim Kelly, Episode 1 was recorded April 24, 2025 at Big Towns in Lafayette, Louisiana.