It is almost common knowledge that The Great Wall of China is the only man-made object visible from outer space. Maybe you’ve even heard that the pyramids of Egypt belong to that distinction. But, this fact is a misnomer. This isn’t to say that these objects cannot be seen, but the contrary: plenty of other sites and structures, man-man or otherwise, can be seen from outside the Earth’s atmosphere. (We can thank ever-growing photographic technologies for this.) However, so as to not ruin the mythos surrounding The Great Wall, we should point out that it remains the only man-made object capable of being seen from space with the naked eye. With basic visual enhancements any landmark on Earth can be seen.

So, why then, when in orbit around our little blue planet, would astronaut Dorothy Metcalf-Lindenburger take the time to look for her Fort Collins home around Warren Lake? Becoming an astronaut is no small feat, after all, with the ultimate goal to leave Earth in order to see and experience space with a more discerning eye, to explore other worlds. Sure, it could be argued that you’re there, and it’s neat to see things from a different angle, so why not? Right? But, when you have the option to see anywhere else – literally, anywhere else – it puts the importance of home in perspective. Seeing The Great Wall from space, I would argue, could be shrugged off. It’s like a vacation: you visit, you take some pictures, and then you post them on your Facebook so people can ooh and ahh. After that it’s all over.

Seeing your home from space, however, would take on a different meaning. While seeing the Earth from space may give a sense of insignificance to our world as a whole, being able to spot one’s specific home from space would have the opposite effect. Because, down here we know the big stuff: The Great Wall, the pyramids, the Sears Tower. They’re the big guys. Juxtaposed against such structures we are all small. But, from space, everything is dwarfed. Looking down from the heavens, suddenly our home shares a stage with those big guys. So, rather than significance dissolving, significance is added because we now match up evenly against those things which may have, on the ground, made us feel inconsequential. We are, in a sense, brought to a higher level. Unlike seeing The Great Wall – which I will argue can only be interesting because it is “The Great Wall” – we now see the things to which we have an emotional tie. We see our homes, we see the places we hung out in high school, and through that we see ourselves. We suddenly have the perspective to see our place in the world, because quite literally we are able to see how we fit.

If you don’t think so, consider this: orbiting around the Earth 238 times in just 15 days, while travelling over 6 million miles of the cosmos, with the vastness of the unknown surrounding her, Dorothy Metcalf-Lindenburger took the time to spot her home town. While I don’t know exactly what that says about the proverbial “Big Picture,” it certainly says something about the importance of home, and adds significance to where we come from. And we all come from somewhere… even Fort Collins, Colorado.

The Group Partners have made a commitment to our Northern Colorado Communities by being generous donors and tireless volunteers. Here are some recent examples:

The 2010 Group Scholar is Ola Fialkowski from Thompson Valley High School in Loveland. Each year at least one student who has been accepted into the CSU College of Business, is awarded a full-tuition scholarship from The Group. Eighteen Northern Colorado high school graduates have been awarded the Group Scholarship since 2000.

The 2010 Nesbitt Scholar is Kyle Thomas Axner. Established in 2001 in memory of Harvey G. Nesbitt, a long-time Group Partner who graduated from CSU, this full-tuition scholarship is granted to an upper-classman who has a concentration in finance, strong academic skills and community involvement.

For information about both scholarships visit  http://www.biz.colostate.edu/scholarships.

The Group office in Greeley has been a proud sponsor of the American Cancer Society Relay for Life of Weld County event for several years and also fields a team, which features at least ten passionate Group partners. The sponsorship dollars go towards the American Cancer Society for putting on the event while the team money goes directly to cancer research and resources.

To particpate or donate visit http://www.weldrelay.org

The precursor to residential real estate activity is pent-up demand for housing. And signs of pent-up demand are beginning to emerge from a variety of sources. Some indicators include:

Demographics: Census estimates show that Northern Colorado has experienced consistent population growth through the past decade. Nevertheless, the number of home sales in 2009 was roughly the same as in 1997. Assuming that interest in home ownership hasn’t changed since then (see the previous story), it’s apparent there are homebuyers-in-waiting once the economy regains its footing.

More demographics: The latest census estimates show population growth during 2009 in Northern Colorado and statewide. Larimer County grew 1.9 percent last year, while Weld County grew 2.7 percent. Colorado grew by 1.8 percent last year, making it the fourth-fastest growing state in the country.

Household size: While population continues to rise nationally, the number of households in the United States declined by 1.2 million between 2005 and 2009. Experts say job losses have forced families to combine households, but that an improving economy should cause household formation to return to normal, prompting young adults to seek home ownership.

Rental market: Apartment vacancy rates in Fort Collins (6.3 percent), Loveland (6.6 percent), and Greeley (7.4 percent), are all below the statewide average of 7.9 percent, and monthly lease rates have increased in Northern Colorado cities.

Economic upside: Most economists believe the recession is behind us and that the economy bottomed out last fall. And based on many outside observers, Northern Colorado seems a prime location for an economic revival to start first. Forbes magazine recently ranked Fort Collins the fourth-best city in the country for business and careers.