Dispatches: The Changing American Dream

The national media covers it daily—changes in the job and real estate markets, uncertainty in the country’s overall economic state, indirectly asking the question: What will become of the American Dream?

We see businesses not knowing if they should expand, college graduates returning home because they can't find jobs, and senior citizens bringing roommates into their homes to help pay their bills.

We also see bold new volunteer efforts, inspiring stories of local businesses that succeed because they innovated, and local residents who've taken these unsettled times as a signal to engage more, not less, with their government.

Today, nearly 900 Patches nationwide in connection with the Huffington Post will launch the first in a series of articles examining the concept of the American Dream.

We don’t believe that there’s just one American Dream today, but a multitude of meanings for what defines and inspires this nation and its citizens.

To many Herculeans, their city is their dream. With its many new homes, low crime rate and overall family friendliness, the city has all the promise in the world, and all that much more to loose because of it.

Hercules Patch intends to keep a conversation going about the changing concept of the American Dream as it relates to Herculeans with frequent stories on the topic.

We invite you to join the conversation and share stories about your dreams for this city and country.