The other day I was speaking to an old friend of mine and we were discussing the intricacies of life, challenges, and rewards that we go through on a daily basis. This particular friend I met two weeks before we started college at Texas A&M (Fish Camp), and through the years we seem to have reached many lifetime milestones at about the same time. Graduation, Marriage, Purchasing a home, Children….so needless to say, we have always had a lot in common. As we were talking, we began comparing and contrasting the areas in which we live, and I started thinking back about the College Station I first moved to in 1996. This was the College Station that both he and his (now) wife lived in as students. It truly is an exciting and remarkable difference to the College Station we call home today. One that I know is attributed to the remarkable quality of residents that live here. I am not taking anything away from this area of yester-year, I have loved it here since I arrived- However, it seems every time I turn around, there is a new store, new company, or new event taking place making this a absolutely wonderful place to live and raise a family. Sure, I am certain that I am not alone in being just a bit tired of the orange traffic cones everywhere we drive, but it’s a sign that things are happening here and that we are growing. Just off the top of my head, I can think of 3 or 4 new shopping centers full of new businesses (FatBurger, Ace Hardware, Wellborn Package Store, Next Level Sports…just off the top of my head).
My friend lives in a suburb of a big city and had the complaints of traffic, safety, and general big city blues. These are all areas in which I feel that College Station shines. Our “heavy traffic” runs from about 7:45am-8:15am then from 4:45pm-5:15pm. You can deal. Our safety is not a upfront concern as our ample police force does a wonderful job. The pace seems just a bit slower than general rat races found elsewhere. All in all, I am confident that we live in one of the most family friendly communities possible, not only in Texas, but in the United States. I don’t know how many times I have heard many of my friends say “I’d love to live in College Station”, but it is often followed by, “I just don’t know if I could actually do it” or “my wife would never go for it”. Heck, I even have family members who think I am stuck in a little bumpkin college town because they knew somebody who went to Texas A&M in the 60’s or 70’s and haven’t been here since! It makes me laugh and we all know that they are wrong! Leads me to believe that what we have going on here is still somewhat of a secret. To be completely honest, I am happy to keep it that way!
I love it here and with that said, I wanted to thank you - the community, because you are responsible for it! Thanks for giving me a platform for this publication, thanks for reading, thanks for contributing, and thanks for wonderful place that we call home! If there is anything that you know of that AYC can help the community with, please drop us a line. We always welcome and encourage contributions from our readers and want to serve you to the best of our abilities. I look forward to hearing from you and please try to stay cool and hydrated. We’ll catch you next month!
Geoff Spahr
Publisher, Active Youth & Community
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