10 Ways To Tell That You Grew Up In Carroll County

Just a short list of what makes a childhood in Carroll County, Maryland so unique.

1. Heroin Kills Was a Staple of Your Middle School Health Class

shyangel168 / Via youtube.com

You saw the Heroin Kills (filmed in Carroll County) at least once during middle or high school. The movie also brought along with it the famous, "I did this to me", battle cry. It's a small (and somewhat awful) "claim to fame", yet you still occasionally referred to Westminster High School as "Heroin High". The sad part is that heroin is still a very popular drug in Carroll despite Heroin Kills and some of Carroll's kids are still dying way too young.

2. You Frequently Visited and Always Recommended Hoffman’s

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You knew the best place to get ice cream growing up was Hoffman's in Westminster. Whether after a soccer game at Carroll Indoor, after a day picking apples at Baugher's Orchard, or at the end of a first date at the Westminster Movie Theater, Hoffman's was the best place to get the best ice cream or shake. Also, their ice cream birthday cakes were to die for. Be careful, because you were almost guaranteed to see someone you know there!

3. You Seemed to Know Everyone in Your Community

Via msa.maryland.gov

Maybe it was the smaller size of the schools or just our traditional ways but it seemed like everyone knew everyone growing up. Not just their names and faces but also their parents' names, any gossip, and their political/religious background. Nothing was really a secret. You also knew the names of all your neighbors and refereed to any adults by Mr/Ms with their first name not their last. It was nice knowing everyone's story and made your community, town, or neighborhood that much closer.

4. You Always Wanted to Take a New Back Road

Andrew Murosko

Sure it was easy to zip to Westminster on 140, 97, 32, 27, or 31, but it was so much more fun to take the single lane farm and river roads that makes Carroll so unique. Some were pretty fun to drive and you got great views of farms, valleys, and fields. Nothing beat that perfect summer day, windows down, listening to country music while zipping around an old, isolated back road.

5. You Were Obsessed with Going On “Adventures”-

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People always seemed to complain that there's nothing to actually do in CC. This often turns into random "adventures" on a Friday or Saturday night. Sure, you may have made it out to some creepy places like Henryton or Crybaby Bridge, but 9 times out of 10 it just turned into driving around aimlessly and ending up at a Walmart or McDonalds.

6. You Always Wanted a Birthday Party at Player's

Players Fun Zone / Via playersfunzone.com

You knew the best place to have a birthday party in order to look cool in Elementary School was Player's in Westminster. The place has changed a lot over the years, yet somehow you can still remember the layout of the jungle gym and lazer tag arena. Sure the prizes didn't amount to much, but it always made for a fun Saturday afternoon. Plus, the batting cages with the replica of Camden Yards was pretty damn cool, thanks Larry Sheets!

7. You’d End Up at a River or Lake Every Summer Afternoon

Andrew Murosko

Kids were so creative to have fun. As soon as one of your friends could drive this meant summer days spent at the Patapsco River, Double Pipe Creek, Cascade Lake, Liberty Reservoir, or Piney Run Lake. It was always fun to wish or swim in the refreshing water. Also chances were that you knew a great rock or rope swing to jump off of making for some (dangerous) awesome stunts.

8. You Got Questioned for Your Ethnic/Political Tolerance

Via mbd.scout.com

Being predominantly conservative, mostly white, and relatively rural, Carroll gets a bad rep for being racially and politically biased. Yes, we made English our official language and we say a prayer before government meetings, but also we know that people in Carroll were some of the most kind and caring people around. Sure, a couple people were bonkers and made us look pretty backwards in the editorials to The Carroll County Times, but it just made most of us laugh (ill-eagles). In reality, Carroll produced independent thinkers who made their own opinions on issues. Still we find ourselves getting asked if we had any non-white friends growing up...

9. You Always Had to Explain Where Carroll County Is

Via carrollbiz.org

Whenever you met people from outside Carroll County, you always had to explain where it was. People from neighboring Howard, Baltimore, and Montgomery Counties were the worst with this. If you lived in Mt. Airy, Woodbine, Sykesville, or a number of other places, you could literally have walked to these counties growing up. Yet, when you say you live just over the river, people have no idea what you mean. It sucked to be ignored by outsiders but deep down we're all glad not to be associated with the insular folk from some of the surrounding counties.

10. You Knew That You Had a Great Childhood and Upbringing-

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It's far from perfect and you always seemed to complain about having nothing to do. But at the same time, you wouldn't have changed your time growing up for the world. Many people dream of getting out of Carroll but once you leave you realize how much of an appreciation CC has given you for the hard working, grounded, slow-paced upbringing that you were fortunate enough to have. Carroll County Pride.