7 Reasons Why Pawnee In ‘Parks and Rec’ Was The Best City In America, Period

Parks and Recreation has given us so much. The renaissance of Rob Lowe, for instance. And that one Marvel guy from Hillsong Church. But it’s also given us good things. Aubrey Plaza! A renewed love for local politics! Endless quotes! It’s no wonder it’s still popular.

That said, it’s hard to believe that Parks debuted 15 years ago – on April 9, 2009. Of course, it didn’t impress critics when it first debuted. However, the Little Series that Could eventually went on to garner 14 Emmy nominations, securing its place in comedy history. Looking back, one could argue that this was all due to the lovely little city at the center of it all: Pawnee, Indiana. Why, you ask? As Perd Hapley might say, let’s begin this article by starting it.

Illuminating town halls

The citizens of Pawnee were endlessly entertaining, and town halls gave them a time to shine. Whether it was the guy who wanted to set things on fire or the guy who wanted to bite people – or even the woman who wanted park-sandwiches to have more mayonnaise – Pawneeans were a passionate bunch. In fact, it was this passion that gave Parks its edge among similar comedies. The residents of the town were diverse and numerous, like real citizens, and they reminded viewers that local politics could be participatory. Also, old people love having sex.

Homegrown romance

There’s nothing so pure as hearing Leslie Knope talk about Ben Wyatt’s butt. Though these two faced numerous challenges–Ben’s love of calzones and inability to appreciate Lil’ Sebastian among them–they always pulled through. Who could forget their kiss in the tiny park? Or Ben’s surprise proposal that Leslie kept interrupting? Or their office wedding? Or that time they grew old together and had triplets? 

Supportive women

Parks was originally meant to be an Office spinoff that centered on female friendships, and you could see this DNA in Season 1’s Ann Perkins scenes. However, even as the show evolved, it maintained this core theme with Leslie’s Galentine’s Day meals and her mentorship of April, and even in April’s grudging tolerance of Ann. Right up to the day that Ann left Pawnee for perkier pastures, Leslie relied on her counsel, patience, and support. These two are the reason you call your best friend a beautiful tropical fish.

Local elections that predicted the future 

Though Season 4 aired in 2011–5 years before the Rise of Orange Man–the season’s storyline somehow predicted that fateful election. Brilliant, competent female candidate? Check. Bumbling wealthy opponent who failed upwards? Check. Misogyny? Big check. Though Leslie would eventually win the City Council position over Bobby Newport, she faced the very same scrutiny, bias, and misinformation that would eventually bring down Hillary. Maybe, if Hillary had walked across an ice rink in tennis shoes at a campaign rally, she would have won.

Cutting-edge local media

Parks was known for its illustrious roster of supporting characters, and Pawnee’s local media outlets featured no shortage of them. In addition to Perd Hapley and his robotic, redundant line readings, there was the horndog Joan Callamezzo and her literal “gotcha” journalism. And when Pawneeans weren’t interested in local news, they could just tune into radio shows like “Crazy Ira and the Douche” or the NPR-like “Thought for Your Thoughts.” Though the latter show tended to feature terrible lesbian Afro-Norwegian funk duos, they also supported Leslie, and for that we salute them.

Colorful local businesses 

Pawnee’s citizens drove local policy, but Pawnee’s small businesses kept the economy running. Well, some of them were small. In terms of evil corporations with beautiful, charming public faces, Sweetums was the most saccharine of them all. However, there was also the hellish local library and its demonic sausage-loving resident Tammy 2, as well as the stoner-run Animal Control office. At least you could pop over to the Wamapoke Casino to cool off if you ever spent too much money at the Pawnee VideoDome XXX Adult DVD Emporium.

It gave us “Treat yo’ self”

Tom Haverford loaned myriad words to the English language. See: “zerts” (for desserts), “tray-trays” (for entrées), “sammies” or “Adam Sandlers” (for sandwiches), “bean blankies” (for tortillas), and “long ass rice” (for noodles). Actually, there’s a whole website devoted to the character’s nicknames for food. And yet, his most valuable contribution to the world of linguistics is a shared creation – namely, “Treat yo’ self,” which he created alongside his work wife Donna Meagle. An example of “treat yo’ self” in a sentence: “If you have made it to the end of this article, then you deserve to treat yo’ self.”