Use these questions to think more about how you would describe your community...
  - Where do people in your community gather or socialize?
  - How and where does your community access services (healthcare, transportation, educational services, etc.)?

Examples of activities and services: Shopping areas, schools and universities, libraries, parks, lakes, rivers, places of worship, healthcare services, public transport, local nonprofit organizations, etc.

Your response: My community is a small, vibrant city with a diverse population and a wide range of socio-economic groups with several churches, many restaurants, art galleries, museums, community centers, historic and recreational gathering places both within the city boundaries and close by. People in our community work both locally and commute to the DC Metro area, via both public and private modes of transportation. We reap the benefit of a state university, local hospital, and many non-profit organizations that address the needs of our community members and the passions for the river and many historic venues in our midst. We are one community and should not be split into different voting districts.

Use these questions to think more about how you would describe your community...
  - What are the cultural bonds in your community?
  - If your community has a shared history, what is it?

Examples of cultural or historical interests: Religious groups, ethnic groups, languages, age groups, immigration status, historic or arts districts, etc.

Your response: Fredericksburg has a complicated history, given its location and prominence as a site where black people were enslaved and escaped to freedom in 1862, where George Washington's mother and sister lived, where the civil rights movement and desegregation events occurred, and where the arts, entertainment, dining establishments, commercial and recreational river activities have also defined the community throughout the years. Multi-cultural, multi-generational, and with acitivities available for all who seek them out.

Use these questions to think more about how you would describe your community...
  - Where are residents employed?
  - If there are environmental concerns in your community, what are they?

Examples of economic or environmental interests: Tourism industry, agricultural workers, mining town, manufacturing center, polluted natural resource, unemployment problem, etc.

Your response: My community is located on the banks of a river, which attracts fishing enthusiasts, water sport enthusiasts, walkers, tubers and more. It is a defining part of our city and many community members volunteer and invest in its care through a non-profit, Friends of the Rappahannock. Both passenger and freight trains travel through our city, and the toxicity of some of the freight that travels through our city is a concern for many local residents.

Use these questions to think more about how you would describe your community...
  - What should politicians and/or map drawers know about your community?
  - What are the needs of your community?
  - Is there anything else you want to tell us about your community?

Examples of needs or concerns: Keep community in the same district or separate into multiple districts, shared policy concerns, need for a social service, relationship to other nearby communities, issues with current district lines

Your response: Our city is currently divided into two state assembly districts. This is detrimental to the city as a whole, since some city residents are within a district that is not reflective of the community where they live in terms of aforementioned attributes and geography. Our city should be a part of the same district for every level of government.