Joshua Community Guide 2020 | Page 7

people were good people. There were not as many stop lights on [Texas] 174 at that time as there are now.” He and his wife raised four children and said they were active in the commu- nity and with Joshua ISD. “It’s been a good community to raise children because it has everything a young family would want,” he said. “I think more and more people are figuring that out now with all the people who are mov- ing here. A lot of that has to do with the strong school system.” The community is growing, he said, but there’s still a small town atmosphere resi- dents seem to enjoy. “We continue to have the personalties of a small town community,” he said. “There are very personable people here. That comes with a small community, I think.” He’s currently semi-retired and a physi- cian at Joshua Family Medicine Associates. Kevin Lee, 35, of Joshua describes growing up in Joshua as a great and safe place where a child could ride their bike to the gas station without any worries. He’s is currently the branch president at Pinna- cle Bank by Mountain Valley in Burleson. “We picked blackberries on the side of the road and ate them,” Lee said. “After baseball and football games, you would meet up at Dairy Queen to get ice-cream, and you probably rode there in the bed of your dad’s truck.” He said he and his friends enjoyed rid- ing ATV vehicles and fishing in the Moun- tain Valley ditches with a string and bacon. He also remembers the old baseball fields when residents had to park in the dirt. “If you brought a foul ball to the con- cession stand, you got a free drink,” he said. “It seemed like everyone from Joshua was there for game nights. You always wanted your home run to hit a cow or a car but were scared to go get the ball after- wards.” Joshua in terms of square miles seems smaller now compared to when he was a child, he said, but with more people now. “Mainly because of how big Burleson and Cleburne have gotten,” he said. “The roads are busier, and people move faster. I don’t see as many crawdad holes or ber- ries on the side of the road. We ride our bikes with our kids instead of just letting them go off alone. The grocery store has moved, and we have a few more food places.” The biggest change, he said, is the school district. “It has really grown and become a de- sired school district,” he said. “My wife is a teacher at [Joshua ISD], and we are thankful to have our kids receive a quality education.” Joshua, he said, is still a place where ev- eryone knows your name. “Many people leave but end up coming back, myself included,” he said. “It’s still a great place to raise a family and drive down back roads to avoid the traffic. I re- member telling my wife when we were deciding on Joshua schools for our kids and that I wanted them to go to a school where people knew their name. I think one of the greatest things about Joshua is how our community pulls together in times of tragedy and loss.” Information in this article came from “Joshua: As it was and is 1853-1976.” ENERGY INNOVATION WORKING FOR YOU Your Touchstone Energy ® Cooperative www.united-cs.com Joshua Community Guide 7