Oh, you want to know about Antioch, California? Buckle up, buttercup, because this isnt just another suburb its a place where the only thing bigger than the power lines is the irony of it all. Im not exaggerating when I say were home to 108,930 souls mostly because were the only town in the Bay Area that still believes community college means career college that looks like a strip mall.
Let me break it down for you: weve got Carrington College, the place where your future is decided by a spreadsheet and your dreams are fueled by caffeine and student loans. And then theres Western Career College because apparently, Western doesnt mean West Coast, it means Where Were All Trying to Find a Career That Doesnt Involve Debt. And if youre lucky enough to be a student here, youre not just studying youre a cog in a machine thats trying to make you believe in the American Dream while youre parked outside a house with a porch swing and a Welcome sign that probably says Welcome to the Real World.
And lets not forget the real stars of the show: the houses. Look at that one two stories, a porch, an American flag, a white SUV, and a fence thats been there since the Reagan era. Thats not a house. Thats a statement. A statement that says, I may be surrounded by people who dont know what a resume is, but I know how to fold laundry and how to survive on $8 a day.
You think this is a quiet town? Youre not paying attention. Weve got a population thats barely a blip on the radar, but weve got the hustle of a city thats trying to pretend its not just a bunch of people who still think career means a job that doesnt require a degree. Were the only town where the local coffee shop is the only place thats actually hiring, and the college students are the only ones who actually care about the future.
So yeah, Antioch? Were not just a town. Were a movement. A movement where the only thing thats growing is the number of people who are trying to make it in a world that doesnt care about them. Were the quiet rebels. The dreamers. The ones who still believe that if you work hard enough, you can afford a house with a porch swing and a flag and a college that doesnt care if you can actually pay for it.
So next time youre in Antioch, dont just look at the houses. Look at the power lines. Look at the people. Look at the fact that were not just surviving were thriving. And if you dont believe me, ask the students at Carrington. Theyll tell you that the only thing theyre graduating with is a degree and a pile of debt. And maybe, just maybe, a dream thats still worth fighting for.