I am a Civil Engineer by profession but have interests in science and history. I live in Los Angeles, CA but grew up in the small town of Ashton in eastern Idaho. I have been contributing information, mostly the history of the eastern Idaho area, since no one else seemed to be doing it. I believe wikipedia is ideal for local history since you may never find an authoritive source for some local histories elsewhere. With Wikipedia, at least, the writings are subject to review by thousands and subject to editing by anyone who may know better.
As I have become familiar with the history of eastern Idaho, I find bad information or conflict in nearly every history I read and even from some respected historians. I am thinking Wikipedia is a place that, over time, may become one of the most reliable sources for local histories there is. It is more than an encyclopedia, it is a forum of sorts.