There's plenty to discover close to home

When you hear people begin talking about "silver linings," you can be pretty sure there's a dark cloud nearby.

But if the economy, along with the high price of gas and groceries, represents that dark cloud, then maybe a silver lining will be that local residents will be more likely to discover what's special in their communities, or at least close by.

Many families who live in Northern Nevada are finding from the necessity of spending less money that you don't need to travel far to have a great vacation.

When it comes to shopping, the story is much the same. In fact, the Carson City Chamber of Commerce is running a promotion called "Carson City First, It's All Here."

The effort is intended to get more people to shop locally rather than spend their money in other jurisdictions. The phrase, "it's all here," may be overly ambitious, but the promotion makes sense when you consider how vital sales tax is to the city's economy. That sales tax revenue has been falling steadily and will likely force some difficult decisions in the coming months for government entities.

As for shopping at home, it's a tough battle to get people to overlook large stores nearby that sell discounted merchandise - shoppers will always go where they can get the best deal. But the chamber promotion will be successful if it helps people discover stores they may not have been aware of. No, it's not all here, but there's probably a lot more than you think.

This editorial represents the view of the Nevada Appeal Editorial Board.