In light of this week’s Veterans Day Parade in downtown Arlington, students and staff members took the time to contemplate the atmosphere of the Arlington community, considering the high level of community involvement that is still characteristic of Arlington.

According to the United States Census Bureau, as of 2013, Arlington had a population of 18,664, and the town has continued to expand.  Despite the fact that small-town Arlington really isn’t that small anymore, the city continues to host whole-town functions that encourage family participation.  But why is it that Arlington still holds on to the small-town feeling, even though the population keeps growing?

Michael Gudgeon, a math teacher at AHS and also an Arlington graduate of 1993, jokingly commented on the transition Arlington has undergone.

“The biggest change I saw was before I left for the military,  we had a Rotten Ralph’s and The Fountain, and when I came back, we had a McChevron,” said Gugdeon. “At that point, I knew things were never going to be the same.”

Even with Arlington’s urbanization and development, people both inside and outside the community continue to dub Arlington as a small, cow town.  At one point this was, in fact, true; but as the Arlington community has become larger, it hasn’t lost its homey feel.

Gudgeon offered some insight into why Arlington is geographically still considered a small town.  He explained, “Now, the community is so spread out, separated by the river.  We have places like Arlington Heights, people that live out on Burn Road, so it still looks and feels rural.  People still think it’s small even though we have a big area.”

On top of this distribution, the community holds onto the small-town mindset.  Something about the atmosphere in Arlington causes people of the community to continue to stay involved.

Nathaniel Alexander, an AHS freshman and attendant of Wednesday’s Veterans Parade, said, “It was nice to see all the people come together and celebrate the veterans.”

Alexander believes that these community events are valuable and important to the livelihood of Arlington.  He added that these traditions, “are things for the community to rally around, even if there’s nothing big going on.”

Olympic Avenue was crowded with Arlingtonians, flags in hand, who had come out to support the community’s veterans.

Zane Blanken (‘16), Head Drum Major of the AHS Band, who led the band in their parade appearance on November 11th, commented, “The most important thing about the Veterans Day Parade is how much it means to some people.”

The accepting nature of the community allows for students like Blanken to be involved and make an impact on the people of Arlington.

The quality of this town is what will outlive any population growth or urban developments that Arlington will face in the future. Arlington may be getting larger, but it will always be small and close-knit at heart.

“Being a part of the band, I’ve become a known member of the community,” said Blanken.