ist , and administrator witnessing the impact of community connectedness and care .
What I learned since then , all I had been seeking from the world away from home , had been in my backyard . Sixteen years later , my husband John and I bought an old farmhouse and moved back to Germantown . We moved into the original Leaman Farmhouse off Riffle Ford Road with my sons , Miles at age 4 and Henry at 18 months . My mother joined us too , moving into the adjacent in-law apartment . My mom had been recently diagnosed with Parkinson ’ s disease and I was hoping to provide care , and company in a familiar setting with surroundings that felt like home in upper Montgomery County . The farmhouse goes back to the late 18 th century originally built by the Leaman family , one of the area ’ s earliest German settlers , giving our hometown its name . The year of construction of the home is unclear , predating the U . S . tax history . Both my husband and I had personal reservations about moving to Germantown . Would the schools be diverse ? Would there be interesting and tasty places to eat out ? Where would John run , and would I sing again ? Would there be enough to do culturally with our kids , and when would we move back into the city ? It seems silly now to think of these worries .
Today Germantown is the third largest populated unincorporated city in the state and the largest in Montgomery County . Germantown is the most diverse city in the country including ethnicity , race , language , and birthplace — ranked number one by WalletHub in 2023 . The once sleepy farming commu-
The arts , culture , education , and community thrive at BlackRock Center for the Arts . |
nity had evolved into a dynamic |
since August of 2022 . |
suburban town with a rich history , |
The origins of the land that |
and at its city center stands the |
today we know as Germantown |
beautiful BlackRock Center for the |
were once hunting ground for Native |
Arts . The ARTS and CULTURE are |
American tribes are now home |
Germantown ’ s core , and I have had |
to the largest and most diverse |
the privilege of serving as Black- |
community , and its people continue |
Rock ’ s Chief Executive Officer |
to gather in this space — for |
14 plenty I spring sowing 2024