What I Learned About My Community

After doing this weeks readings I have learned that communities can best be understood from the seven knowledge keys listed from the text: aspirations, civic, concerns, people, place, sources, and stereotypes. Being that I have recently moved to the Coon Rapids area I wasn't initially able to come up with many answers to the questions listed with these keys. After doing some research I found out the following information about Coon Rapids and its' community: I learned that Coon Rapids used to be an agricultural area, it took on the name Coon Creek Rapids in 1948, which was later shortened to Coon Rapids. People with older roots to this area still may hold on to these agricultural ties. Today Coon Rapids has a new outlook and values, which I believe are best described from information listed on the city website, "Our city has a strong interest in developing and preserving the amenities that make suburban living a pleasure. Coon Rapids offers a unique combination of urban excitement and small town friendliness with many opportunities for both work and play"(Coon Rapids city website). I think this can be seen just by looking at how much the city has grown over the years. Look at all the new housing developments, and large shopping centers such as Riverdale. Or even the little decorative things, such as the artwork on some of the bridges, to try and make the city look nicer. I suspect that many people who live in this area now, or move to this area, have the same aspirations and hold many of these same values. In addition to what I learned, I also realized that I could easily become more involved in my community. Currently I believe I am more in the private and incidental layers of my community. I could become more involved by joining things such as community organizations or by joining something like a neighborhood committee. Doing something like this would allow me to find out even more about my community. Sources: Coon Rapids city website. 23 Jan, 2008. www.ci.coon-rapids.mn.us/ Covering Communities. 21 Jan, 2008. http://www.coveringcommunities.org/

First Blog

Welcome to my blog. My Name is Chris Szyplinski, I am 22 years old, and am taking this class because i have an interest in the Journalism field.

I enjoy writing about mostly anything, with sports being of most interest to me. Last year while attending North Dakota State University I wrote for the schools newspaper "The Spectrum" and felt i gained a lot of valuable experience.

My other hobbies include sports. I enjoy football, baseball, basketball, and hockey. I love all Minnesota sports teams with the Minnesota Vikings being my favorite.

I am looking forward to participating in this class.