For much of my life I had an impulse to wander, and to think that if I feel settled and content in a place, it must mean it’s time to move. 

Living and working in the Powell area has changed that, and it seems many area residents have the same feeling of this being a place to put down roots. 

I recently had the pleasure to interview two family doctors who have both been at Powell Valley Healthcare for 30-plus years. As Dr. Mike Bohlman told me, it’s unusual to see doctors stay in any one place, especially in a smaller area, for a long time these days. 

There’s something special about Powell that keeps its hold on people. For instance, Dr. Kelly Christensen, who convinced Bohlman to come to Powell to practice after their residency, watched his father practice medicine in Powell as well. And now his daughter, Brittany, has likewise returned to Powell after her training to work in the same hospital as her father. 

That continuity only furthers the feeling of a town for longterm practice whether you have extended family here or not. 

If medical professionals who are able to practice in a wide array of locations choose to come to or stay here, it only increases the fabric of the community, as it does when anyone chooses to come to or stay in Powell committed to doing a part to keep the community great. 

Even in the depths of winter, with the sounds of engines desperately cranking, it’s still great to walk down the alleyway to our office each morning.

This town has certainly hooked my family. When I recently joked to my wife about taking a job in Colorado, her response was that I should come back to Powell to visit her and the kids often.