That time Jimmy Carter visited your city

Many are from his political days. Many others are from his work with his Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter Work Project, an annual partnership with Habitat for Humanity.

• Together the anecdotes create a collage of a president who made personal connections with Americans, whether he was asking them for their votes or a circular saw.

Austin

When Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter touched down at the Austin Municipal Airport on April 1, 1981, "a ring of Austin police officers and Secret Service agents" surrounded their Eastern Airlines jet, per a story in the Austin American-Statesman.

Flashback: Two days earlier, on March 30, John Hinckley had tried to assassinate President Reagan in Washington.

• The Carters continued with their visit, which included trips to the Lyndon Baines Johnson Library and the LBJ Ranch, in search of ideas for Carter's presidential library, Axios Austin's Asher Price writes.

The Statesman reporter observed that, "As usual, Carter carried his own clothes bag as he left the airplane."

The bottom line: Outside the library, 400 school children shouted “Jimmy! Jimmy!"

• In brief remarks after he wrapped up his visit at the LBJ site, Carter said that he never met Johnson, but the visit to the library "was the second-best thing."

Charlotte

During a campaign stop in 1976, Carter donned a white apron and flipped pancakes at the Cabarrus County Boys Club, about 20 miles north of Charlotte.

Eleven years later, in the summer of 1987, Jimmy and Rosalynn braved Charlotte's July heat to help build a house in the Optimist Park neighborhood with the local Habitat chapter, Axios Charlotte's Katie Soloff writes.

• "We don't come here doing favors," Carter told the crowd, "nor do we come as a separate class of people. We are part of a community of Christian brothers and sisters. ... And that makes us thankful."

Nashville

In 2019, a 95-year-old Carter fell in his home and suffered injuries to his left eye.

• Hours later, he was in Tennessee with 14 stitches, a large bandage and a black eye, to help build new porches for 21 Nashville homes, writes Axios Nashville's Adam Tamburin.
• Photos from the trip are among the most famous of Carter's time doing Habitat work.

New Orleans

In the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, Carter ensured that his Habitat partnership focused on rebuilding homes in Gulf Coast communities.

• On May 21, 2007, less than two years after the storm, Carter made his second post-storm visit to celebrate the construction of Habitat's 1,000th and 1,001st homes in the area.
• "When you don't provide decent housing to those devastated by a storm — three, four or five years later — people have no feeling of being treated decently, in the greatest democracy in the world," Carter said on another home-building visit in New Orleans in 2008.

Marguerite Oestreicher, executive director of the New Orleans Area Habitat for Humanity, tells Axios New Orleans reporter Chelsea Brasted:

• "His generosity and impact has been immeasurable. There's no way to put a dollar to it. He continued to keep the focus on our recovery in the community long after it was out of the ordinary news cycle."

Chicago

Carter found an unlikely ally in Chicago Mayor Richard J. Daley during his 1976 presidential campaign, Axios Chicago's Justin Kaufmann writes.

• Daley ran the infamous Cook County Democratic machine that helped elect John F. Kennedy.

The intrigue: Daley, reportedly, took a liking to Carter, even though the presidential candidate publicly opposed "machine" politics.

Flashback: In July 1976, Carter flew to Chicago for a huge fundraiser.

• Daley met him at O'Hare airport and escorted him in a mayoral motorcade to the Blackstone Hotel on Michigan Avenue, just a block from where protesters were gassed and beaten less than a decade earlier.
• Daley introduced the candidate as "Jim Carter," and brought nearly 4,000 political cronies to the fundraiser, reports say.

The post mortem: Daley delivered Illinois for the victorious Carter in 1976, but the mayor wouldn't live to see him inaugurated. He died on December 20, 1976.

Dallas

Jimmy and Rosalynn came to Dallas in 2013 to attend the dedication ceremony of the George W. Bush Presidential Center on the SMU campus, writes Axios Dallas.

What happened: The Carters gathered with all of the other living former presidents and their families. Jimmy Carter told the audience a story about the time in 2000 when he asked then President-elect George W. Bush to help negotiate an end to the war ravaging Sudan — and Bush agreed.

• In a remarkable display of bipartisan respect, Carter gave Bush all the credit for the peace treaty between North and South Sudan, which ended 21 years of war. "George W. Bush is responsible for that," he said.

Plus: Carter returned to North Texas a year later, at the age of 90, to help build 30 homes and renovate 20 more with Habitat for Humanity.

• Carter made a point to meet each of the 30 families buying their homes through the organization.

Des Moines

Carter is credited with putting Iowa's first-in-the-nation caucuses on the map.

What happened: As a long-shot candidate for president in 1975, Carter "practically lived in Iowa" to campaign, Axios Des Moines' Jason Clayworth writes.

• His better-than-expected showing in the 1976 Iowa Democratic caucuses helped propel him to the White House and demonstrated how Iowa could be a stepping stone for gaining national political prominence, The Atlantic reported in 2016.

D.C.

Washington may seem like an obvious inclusion on the list, but Carter was unusually active in hometown D.C., according to Axios D.C.'s Chelsea Cirruzzo.

Details: Making good on a campaign promise, he enrolled his daughter Amy in public schools. She was the first child of a president since Teddy Roosevelt to do so, according to the Washington Post.

The family regularly attended First Baptist Church on 16th St. NW throughout Carter's presidency.

• In fact, the president taught a monthly Sunday school class for young adults on the sanctuary balcony during his term, Pastor Julie Pennington-Russell tells Axios.
• Carter even taught a class while negotiating a peace treaty between Israel and Egypt, Christi Harlan, volunteer spokesperson for the church, tells Axios.
• Harlan says Carter described the negotiations in class, and told students that the leaders had agreed on one thing: They all worship the same god.

Jimmy and Rosalynn then returned to D.C. in 1992 and 2010 to help build homes for Habitat for Humanity.

Columbus

In 1978, President Carter visited Columbus to dedicate the construction of Mount Vernon Plaza, a large affordable housing complex, Axios' Tyler Buchanan reported.

• Context: It was built in the King-Lincoln Bronzeville neighborhood, a historically Black community that suffered greatly when highway construction destroyed many homes and businesses in the mid-20th century.

What he said: Carter acknowledged the struggles along Mount Vernon Avenue and applauded the effort to improve conditions there.

• "[Y]ou, the people of this area, decided to do something about it. Now you've got an area that's safe, healthy, clean, beautiful, and it's going to be even better in the future."

Philadelphia

Carter's official visit to Philadelphia in May 1980 ended a self-imposed travel ban and marked the first time he had visited the city since the 1976 election, Axios Philadelphia's Isaac Avilucea writes.

What happened: He came to mend fences with members of the political establishment, including Mayor William Green, and residents upset over a broken campaign promise to save the Frankford Arsenal, which shuttered in 1977.

• Philadelphia was projecting a $167 million deficit at the time, with layoffs expected for more than 1,200 city employees, leading to sickouts and demonstrations.
• Green had called some of Carter's budget cuts "regrettable" and estimated the city could lose $60 million in federal grants.

Other Philly trips: At a stop in Philadelphia during the 1976 presidential primary, Carter apologized for using the phrase "ethnic purity" in Indiana a few days earlier to defend stabilizing established neighborhoods, Axios' Keldy Ortiz reports.

• Carter returned in October 1980 for a campaign stop at Joseph and Bertha Phillips' Lansdowne home. The couple served Carter cookies and coffee and steered clear of discussing Carter’s performance in office during their visit, according to newspaper archives and Phillips' obituary.
• "I think it would be unseemly to criticize a man who's coming to your house as a guest, especially the president," Joseph Phillips said at the time.

Bay Area

Carter's Habitat work brought him to the Bay Area in 2013, as noted in Axios San Francisco.

• During his trip, Carter helped build affordable housing in Oakland and renovate two homes for low income families in east San Jose.

What they're saying: Maureen Sedonaen, CEO of Habitat for Humanity Greater San Francisco, told NBC Bay Area she recalls Carter taking on tasks from carrying sheetrock to putting in framing. Video footage shows the former President skillfully using a circular saw.

• "Mr. Carter was 88 years old at the time and wanted to get up on the roof to make repairs," NBC's Marianne Favro said. "But the Secret Service wouldn’t let him.”

Editor's note: This story includes contributions from reporters and editors who've worked in Axios Local cities across the U.S.