IT WAS 12 years ago that I began to write about the residents and events in Brooklyn Park. In today's fast-paced world, 12 years is a long time to do anything.
When I told family and friends that I would be doing this, I was told that there wasn't enough going on in Brooklyn Park to make a column, and even if there were, no one would want to read about it.
Nothing could have been further from the truth. I had no idea that so many community associations existed or that so many people gave freely of their time for the community.
It was hard to believe that elementary school teachers wanted their pupils to succeed so much, or that a middle school principal would care enough to see how she could help the entire community.
Who would have dreamed that our beloved Brooklyn Park High School would be rescued from demolition and transformed into a theater and arts complex? Certainly not me, and probably no one else except Del. Joan Cadden.
I began to meet people who wore their community pride like a badge of honor, and a funny thing happened. I caught their enthusiasm. I've lived in Brooklyn Park all my life, but 12 years ago I began to "live" Brooklyn Park.
To all who gave their time and answered my many questions over the years, I offer my sincerest thanks. Thank you to everyone who called and told me they enjoyed the column; you have no idea how much your encouragement meant. Thanks to all who called to complain about everything from an omission to your garbage not being picked up. Your calls told me that you were reading and were interested.
The secret is starting to get out. Brooklyn Park is a great community filled with friendly, giving people. It's not too late. Just go to a meeting or volunteer an hour of your time to help with a community event. There's everything to gain and nothing to lose.
And don't think that you've heard the last from the Neighbors columnists. We will still be around, looking for our community's bright spots.
21225
Brooklyn Park is in the 21225 ZIP code. So are parts of Baltimore City. Demographers, economists and business developers see that 21225 ZIP code, and many conclude that the communities are all the same.
Some Brooklyn Park activists yearn for a county-identified ZIP code, partly to show that while the 21225 communities share many things, they aren't all the same.
With the assistance of the folks at the U.S. Census Bureau who kindly answered my countless e-mails, I was able to break down the 2002 online census records to isolate the Anne Arundel County data from the Baltimore City data. This is an unscientific assessment.
The record shows that many of the residents of Brooklyn Park and the 21225 Baltimore City communities are members of the baby boomer generation (56 percent from Brooklyn Park and 48 percent from Baltimore City). The number of homeowners in Brooklyn Park is slightly higher (55 percent vs. 50 percent for Baltimore City).
Brooklyn Park and the Baltimore City communities are also similar in ethnic backgrounds, commuting time to work and educational attainment.
The only area where the Brooklyn Park and Baltimore City residents significantly differ is in income. The median household income in Brooklyn Park is 52 percent higher than it is in the city communities.
These figures may not prove anything, but then again maybe they do. Either way, the next time a business developer attends a community meeting in Brooklyn Park and claims that the 21225 ZIP code can't support their business, Brooklyn Parkers can prove otherwise.