[@BingTheWing][@Ozymandias037][@Briza][@DJAtomika][@Lady Squee][@probable cause]

Wow, thank you all for the terrific response! :D  You rock! We could totally make a great story together.

I've made some updates to the first post here, and changed the name of the town to something less realistic. Totally gimme your hopes and ideas -- I'm making this up as I go.