As I'm sure you're aware, on Dec. 14, Bloomberg Businessweek compiled a list of "the best places to raise your kids" in the United States and College Park made the list.

In case you missed it, here's what Bloomberg said about our fair city:

"Home to the University of Maryland, College Park was developed starting the late 1800s. Part of the city is part of the Calvert Hills Historic District, and a number of historic sites are in the area, including College Park Airport, the oldest continuously operated airport in the world. According to longandfoster.com, many families move to College Park for its good schools (four elementary schools, three middle schools, and four high schools) and its proximity to Washington, DC, about 10 miles away and accessible by metro."

Some thoughts….

First, maybe it's just me, but there's something odd about saying one place is noteworthy simply because of its proximity to someplace else. A town is either special because of its landmarks, its culture, or some combination of the two. It's closeness to another place should have nothing to do with it. Otherwise, it's like saying the grape juice in your refrigerator is wonderful because it's next to the milk. The grape juice is either tastes good or it doesn't.

Second, while I am loath to get into a debate as to whether College Park has "good schools," I know quite a few resident-parents who would disagree with that statement. In fact, I know one guy, a father or two who lives in Virginia and works at the University of Maryland, who won't move here because he believes the schools to be substandard. Now let me be clear: I am not saying the public schools in College Park don't cut it. To be honest, I don't know. But as the father of a 4-year-old daughter, I'm trying to find out. What I am saying, however, is that the perception is that College Park's public schools aren't very good, and for many folks, perception and reality are closely linked.

Third, although I may live in College Park now, I grew up in West Seneca, New York—one of the other towns to make the list. Here's what Bloomberg had to say about it.

"Sure the winters may get cold, but the quality of life and affordability of this middle-class suburb of Buffalo, part of the 'Southtowns' that include Orchard Park and Hamburg, more than make up for it. In addition to more than a dozen parks, a soccer complex, and a nature center, it boasts the highly rated West Seneca Central School District and several parochial and private schools."

Although I haven't lived in West Seneca since I left to go to college in 1990, I can tell you that, yes, the winters are cold, and that, yes, it was a fantastic place to grow up. I remember it as a friendly and safe place of well-kept, modest homes with neat lawns, where neighbors talked to one another, kids roamed the neighborhoods freely, and few people locked their doors. Further, even as a kid I knew that the schools had a good reputation. That was then and I confess I don't know what life in the old neighborhood is like now. I do visit the area about once a year and, when time permits, I drive through and take a look at the places I used to frequent. It looks a little scruffier than I remember it (although this could be just as much the result of New York's financial woes as anything else), but the schools have retained their good reputation.

Why am I telling you this? Well, because even though I haven't lived there for 20 years, I can't help but compare the childhood I remember in West Seneca to the one my kids are likely to have here. Sorry to say, it doesn't seem like theirs will be as good. Why I feel this way is hard to pin down, but in the end it all boils down to the freedom I had as a kid. Because my parents weren't worried about crime, because sidewalks were plentiful and because the same old neighbors were always out and about, my friends as I spent a lot of time outside of the house with little to no supervision from what seemed like a very young age. However, given our crime statistics here in the CP, our complete lack of sidewalks and a general absence of neighborliness (for various reasons), I just can't envision my kids having a childhood anything like mine. Whereas I simply went out to play, they will have more "play dates," participate in more structured activities and spend more time being driven around to "fun" places.

For the record, I'm not trying to be glum, just honest. Moreover, I'm willing to accept that my childhood may not have been as great as I remember it and that my forecast for my kids may be wildly inaccurate. For their sake, I hope it is.

In the meantime, perhaps those of us (parents) who appreciate this community but react to this accolade from Bloomberg skeptically can roll up our sleeves and get to work—on behalf of our kids—to make College Park the place this magazine's readers imagine it to be.

Smith is a resident of North College Park and treasurer of the North College Park Citizens Association.