We write about what we know, so I will begin these blogs with a bit of description work, sans (I will use french without warning) any analysis formally. So this means I will begin with Howard County's places of interest, namely Columbia, Ellicott City, and of course, Mount Airy.
Mount Airy is in the far reaching northwest corner of Howard County, in fact being part of other counties neighboring it. I reside in a location that I will often joke as 'not quite Mount Airy, not quite Lisbon, but pretty much still in the middle of nowhere.' It was a similar situation where I wasn't really near anything that was associated with Ellicott City when I used to live in 'Ellicott City.' In other words, the boondocks, or the 'boonies.' I do not know what other definitions people use to describe the boondocks, but let's say it is the suburbs of the suburbs. To put it: the outer layers of a already unknown place (to someone from, let's say out of town).
Most Americans know what I mean. It means you need to encounter a 30 mile per hour speed limit, a few four way stops, perhaps. Along the way you'll see corn or cows. Then, randomly, a development, or a slew of single family homes that are next to one another on smaller plots of land. Even though you were about a mile south of Interstate 70, you would think you were in the middle of nowhere without any major indication of where to go next. That is where I currently live, sort of Mount Airy, but not really.
What implications does this have for me, as a resident? Not being able to really understand where I am, have any major place to go, and so on. It means I need a car. The only buses that come through this area are yellow school buses in the mornings and afternoons. But they do not take anyone to schools in the area, that is for sure. It would take me about 4 minutes down the main road here to the next town of Lisbon to find a business: a liquor store. A few other needed establishments are there as well: dentist, veterinarian, and barber. Two gas stations are mere yards further down the same street.
To get to the city in which I am legally a part of, a need to go in the opposite direction, make a few turns, over Interstate 70, and then go down a series of windy roads and viola! Mount Airy. And since I wrote it, let's go into what this Eureka moment is -- it is not a mere expression, but a formal and spatial understanding I am entering Mount Airy as I would know it.
Where does Mount Airy really begin?
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