Loran Smith: On Darien

Loran SmithDARIEN – This coastal town is pretty much like all the small communities that dot the nation’s Eastern seaboard from Ft. Kent, Maine, to Key West, Fla.

There is a unique sameness about each one, though there is usually something that makes every spot different, owing to a feature that sets them apart. You must go there to find it.

If you come here, you leave with the conclusion that the laid-back lifestyle might have originated in the seat of McIntosh County, where the Altamaha River—Altamahaul to locals—empties into the Atlantic Ocean. (That is akin to a native of Albany, 177 miles west of here, telling you that he is from Allbenny.)

Small towns are gaining in popularity,…