DisPatches: The Changing American Dream

For decades, the iconic "American Dream" was painted with the same images: A white picket fence. Two kids. A car.

But as years have passed it's become clear no two American dreams are the same. And today, as national debates swirl around unemployment, debt, immigration, religion, government and private enterprise, perhaps it’s time to reconsider what exactly it means to live the American Dream.

Every day, nearly 900 Patch sites offer varied definitions of what it means to live the American Dream, including our own here in Vienna.

We see people coming to town to fulfill it; people leaving town to find it.

We see bold new volunteer efforts, inspiring stories of local businesses that succeed because they innovated, and residents who've taken these trying times as a signal to engage more in their government.

We see demographics changing, crime increasing, businesses owners holding their breath while deciding whether to expand or close. College graduates returning home with mountains of debt because they can't find jobs, families making tough choices and retirees bringing boarders into their homes to help pay their bills.

A new Patch series, "DisPatches: The Changing American Dream,” will be built upon the compelling snapshots we unearth across all of our Patch sites.

And, of course, we want your help.

Tell us what issues and what stories in Vienna go to the heart of your American Dream. What is your dream? Have you achieved it? Are you on your way? Did you watch it slip out of reach?

We want you to tell us, what is your American Dream?

Leave a comment below, or, email your story to Editor Erica R. Hendry at erica.hendry at patch.com. We'll be telling your stories one day at a time.