Farmington Village Feels Like Home For Many Families

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As the saying goes, it takes a village to raise a family. Residents of one Pasadena community believe they have that support network.

In Farmington Village, residents rely on one another for everything. A mom needs someone to watch her son and daughter. A frantic pet owner is searching for her cat that may have scurried into someone’s backyard.

“We all have key codes to each other’s houses,” said Destiny Easton, who moved to the community 10 years ago with her husband, a military retiree, and two of their seven children.

Easton and two neighbors, Bridget Welsh-Baker and Amy Charles, shared a story of a neighbor seeing someone’s car hatch door open. Some people may have seen the open door as an opportunity for theft, but in Farmington Village, the passerby closed the door and informed the neighbor.

“A Russian box turtle was missing, so it was posted to Facebook, and within minutes everyone was outside,” Charles said, recalling how people scoured the neighborhood until finding the turtle.

Of course, their bond goes beyond kind deeds. They gather for chili cook-offs, family movie nights, community yard sales, a Fourth of July parade, and they rent the same Santa every year, so kids grow up with the same jolly fellow greeting them every Christmas. One year, they had a family friendly, ‘80s-themed New Year’s party and danced the night away.

That sense of community pride isn’t limited to one side of the neighborhood. Farmington Village has about 450 homes, a mix of single-family houses and townhomes. The former site of Schramm's Turkey Farm, the land was developed by Koch Homes in 1993. Neighborhoods kids attend Solley Elementary and George Fox Middle School.

A community full of teachers, police officers and former members of the military, Farmington Village feels safe, residents say.

“I always read about kids not going outside anymore because it’s not safe, but they do here,” said Diane Newburg, who has lived in the community for 17 years. “They’re always riding their bikes and running around the neighborhood, and you don’t see that as much as you used to.”

Mark Delmege moved to Farmington Village last spring to be near his parents. The neighborhood has “far exceeded” his expectations.

“The community is excellent for running and I run several miles, five days a week,” Delmege said. “The pool is beautiful and well maintained. All neighbors I have met have been extremely friendly and welcoming to the community.”

Welsh-Baker moved with her husband to Farmington Village in July 2018. It didn’t take long before she was on the homeowners association board, trying to get involved in every aspect of the community.

“I first looked in Annapolis and Severna Park, but I love it here,” she said. “It’s only a kiss away from Severna Park. It’s a mature community, the pool is beautiful, and there is not a lot of turnover.”

Charles came with her husband and two kids four years ago.

“We came from Vegas,” Charles said. “We did our research to find the best schools, the best area. This is where we ended up.”

Easton feels fortunate to have found Farmington Village, and that’s a sentiment shared by many of her neighbors.

“We watch out for each other,” she said. “We’re a close-knit family.”

Easton is one of many neighbors who gather on the second Thursday of every month to play Bunco, a tradition started 16 years ago.

Whether she’s in a friend’s kitchen, or taking a stroll through her community, she feels at ease when she’s in Farmington Village.

“It’s so nice and neat,” Easton said. “People want their yards to look nice and they take care of their homes. When I enter the neighborhood, it feels like home.”

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