Steve Parks, a Dundalk resident has just started a new column about what people think about Dundalk and what’s going on. He will also target young professionals and youth in the area as well.
Brilliant! Check out the full column below or at www.dundalkeagle.com
VOICE BOX: A few good reasons people want to stay in Dundalk
(posted10/02/2008)
I was having dinner in Squire’s and a friend asked me why I bought my first home in Dundalk.
“I love the breeze,” I said, “that every now and then blows across the fields at Dundalk High from the golden Epcot on Back River, splashing the back side of the school.”
We laughed. We can because we all grew up in Dundalk.
Then I said, “No, really, I just started traveling and I knew I wanted to see more places. Buying my first home in Dundalk allowed me to keep traveling yet still come home to a place of my own because the price was right.”
Honestly, though, there was much more to my decision. The real deciding factor was how close I would remain to my family and many lifelong friends who still call Dundalk home.
I graduated from Dundalk High with the Class of 1992. After graduating from Towson University several years later, I entered corporate America.
Shortly after starting my career, I knew it was time to buy my first home and plant my own roots. I looked for quite some time. With landing a good job in Hunt Valley right out of college, a commute from Dundalk would be lengthy.
And then there was the stigma of Dundalk itself. Don’t give me that I-smell-a-waste-treatment-plant
look. You’ve seen the T-shirts!
So I thought about all the good times I had growing up in Dundalk, like playing soccer under the lights at Stricker and sledding at Dundalk Community College.
I asked family and friends why they chose to buy their first home in Dundalk and some of their fun memories growing up here.
“I thought it was time to either move away from Dundalk or invest in it. I was thinking about moving to North Carolina,” says Jennifer Leaverton, 27, who works for KPSS Inc. as a lead client service representative.
“I went down there and visited a school and looked at homes and job opportunities. I was on my way home and, as crazy as it sounds, when the plane was landing I just felt like this was it. My home. I loved this town and the people in it.”
As for good times in Dundalk, she says, “The Heritage Fair. You see so many people that you grew up with. Even if you don’t see them for the entire year, you hang out like you just saw them yesterday.”
Jennifer has lived in her home for a year and a half.
My brother Brian Parks is a 30-year-old Baltimore City firefighter and lifelong resident of Dundalk. He wrote by e-mail, “The reason I decided to purchase my first home in Dundalk was because it is affordable and close to family and friends, and I’m hopeful that a Dundalk revitalization is going to happen.”
Brian’s wife, Sue, is an accountant for the Baltimore Aquarium. They had their first baby, Lilly, about a year ago. They enjoy taking Lilly to see the grandparents. Brian’s and Sue’s parents live in Dundalk.
Asked about some of his best memories of growing up in Dundalk, Brian wrote, “Playing the Underground shows at St. Timothy’s Church. We went almost every weekend. At that time it didn’t matter that we were not old enough to play music in the bar scene. I much preferred to play a local venue with my buddies.” Brian has lived in his home for four years.
Scott Tanner, a 33-year-old entrepreneur, says, “I love the small-town feeling I get from Dundalk. Having grown up in Dundalk, all of my friends and family live there. I work nearby and the price of the home I bought could not be matched in surrounding areas.”
Scott started his sports memorabilia shop 20 years ago as a stand at the North Point Flea Market. He then moved the business to a small shop in Old Dundalk, where it continued to grow. He now has a successful shop on Eastern Avenue called the Baseball Card Outlet.
“Wall Ball at the Dundalk Middle School parking lot across from the firehouse and walking to Screenplay to play video games,” Scott says when asked about fun times he had growing up in Dundalk. Scott recently sold the first home he bought for himself in Dundalk. He lived there for eight years while continuing to expand his business.
Even with the so-called “mortgage meltdown” of the past few years, Dundalk homes have remained relatively stable investments. Ask many of its residents and they’ll tell you the 21222 ZIP code — despite the occasional Back River breeze — offers many great reasons to call Dundalk home.
Young ideas
This is the debut of a column by Dunshire resident Steve Parks focused on what younger people are doing and saying. It will appear in The Eagle every other week. If you have a comment about this column or want to suggest a topic, write to info@dundalkeagle.net.
