ThisWeKnow is a website that takes all kinds of data from government sources and lets you search by location – city or zip code.  The front page also offers a nice set of lists about different topics such as which city has the least toxins or is the most nomadic.

ThisWeKnow mission statement:

Our mission is to present the information the U.S. government collects about every community. By publishing this data in an easy to understand and consistent manner, we seek to empower citizens to act on what’s known.

ThisWeKnow can be a great resource for local bloggers looking for some fun facts about their cities or could be a great place to find some information to compare cities.  These lists of cities can be a great starting point for discussions about what makes your different from others.

Here are some of the facts I learned about Pittsburgh from a search on ThisWeKnow:

• There are 33 Factories (within 7 mi.)
• There are 74,930 Home Owners and 68,809 Renters (in this town)
• 43% of people Relocated in the past 15 years (in this town)
• 17 Bills have been introduced about this location by 8 Members of Congresssince 1993

via When Big Box meets hyperlocal news « The Hyperlocalist.

via  Hyperlocal Blogger

Hollander looks the idea of local washing as a response to the localvore movement.

CSRwire Talkback – Localwashing Is The New Greenwashing.

I think that local bloggers have a huge role to play in helping to identify and support products and businesses that are from their communities.

Not only can bloggers share information about local businesses but local businesses can use blogging to educate their shoppers about their products and business practices.

The third place is a term used in the concept of community building to refer to social surroundings separate from the two usual social environments of home and the workplace. In his influential book The Great Good Place, Ray Oldenburg (1989, 1991) argues that third places are important for civil society, democracy, civic engagement, and establishing feelings of a sense of place.

I have been talking about setting up a blog about local blogging and the idea of a local community connecting via the internet.  Thankfully one of my friends suggested The Fourth Place as a name for this idea of local communities that are connecting online.  So you have work, home, a third place and now the fourth place is your local online community.