malden's #1

Anyone who knows me knows that I am very proud of where I come from. I love the Boston area and am sad when I'm not near it. For example, when I went to school in Missouri, I missed the city of Boston more than I missed any person. I have always taken pride in Malden. It's where I was born. It's where I was raised. It's where my parents still live. I can tell you some fun facts about Malden:

1. Adoniram Judson was born there. Mr. Judson was the first missionary sent from the United States.
2. Malden is the birthplace of Grandpa Joe from the original "Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory" movie.
3. Malden officially became a town in 1649. I was there for the 350th birthday parade celebration. In fact, I was in it!
4. It has been said that Malden was the first town to petition the colonial government to withdraw from Great Britain.

I can spew much more useless knowledge about my city. But I can also tell you some not so nice things I remember:

1. I once saw a kid get beat to death with a baseball bat while driving to church.
2. A guy on the street over from me when I lived on Essex Street was found beheaded in his jeep. His head was later found in a cemetery.
3. A guy on my brother's paper route (the street next to ours when we lived on Echo St) went missing while jogging and was never found.
4. The body of a young man was found in the cemetery down the street from my house on Echo St.
5. One of the most famous armored car robbery cases in history involved Malden.
6. A few years back, there was a big standoff in Malden involving a separate armored car robbery case.
7. When I lived on Russell St., neighborhood kids used to come into my backyard (it was a duplex so it was shared) to drink and do drugs with my neighbor.

There are so many more bad things I can think of. One which only my brother, a few select people, and me know, which I'd rather not air publicly.

I loved Malden growing up. I love Malden still. I just don't think that I would call it the best place to raise a child. Which begs the question, "How did Malden win the honors of being named the best city in Massachusetts to raise children?"

The honors came from Business Week and the article can read by clicking here So why did Malden win? I think that it has a lot to do with the fact that Malden has all beautiful, new, well-equipped K-8 schools. Only the High School is old. I think the reason Malden was the beneficiary of brand new schools a few years back was because Malden is the home for the State Board of Education. It's kind of like the old saying about the smoothest road in a city being the one the mayor lives on. The best schools in the state are where the State Board of Education resides. I'm happy for Malden that it won this honor. I just feel the need to disagree. And that's coming from a child who was raised there.