HoCo.
For those who don't know, this is the slang term for Howard County, the area where I've lived my entire life. If one is a Marylander, they'll probably have a sense of the HoCo stereotype, but for those who aren't natives I'll explain just what it means to grow up in Howard county.
In 2010, Ellicott City was deemed the second best place to live out of the entire United States of America, and HoCo is enmeshed in Ellicott City. Go figure, there's always been a standard to live up to.
From as early on as preschool, my Mom has stories of how cut-throat the entire system was with regard to academics: if you didn't get your child the best of everything, they would surely fall behind and be trampled; if you got them the best, which Howard County offered to those with the balls to take it, then they could go anywhere.
If I ever needed proof as to the truth of Mom's words, all I needed to do was look to the droves of overbearing parents enrolled in PTA and the soccer moms and dads screaming at their children on the field. The screaming, more often than not, was far from encouraging.
Howard County, although it has the best textbooks and the best places to shop, eat, and hang out, is not a place where I would choose to raise my own children.
I think it's pretty interesting that we both have such different views on what it's like growing up in in Columbia/Ellicott City/HoCo.
ReplyDeleteDissing your 'hood, George. We have had interesting conversations about Howeird Co. over the years. Glad you have your own opinions, as you were raised to think critically. Ha ha literally AND figuratively, in this case. Of course, you have the county to thank for that, at least in part, ha.
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