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In the News

A ‘post-hippie’ Takoma Park?

Its residents once referred to the city as the People’s Republic of Takoma Park — a nuclear-free zone that bans water bottles, has its own corn silo and hosts an annual folk festival. But with a recent, rare exception to its nuclear-free ordinance and an aging activist population, some wonder whether it is leaving the ’60s behind.

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June 29, 2012

Signs of encroaching normalcy may spell the end of the old hippie ways in Takoma Park. Takoma Bistro, a new branch of the Bread & Chocolate bakery chain, just opened on Laurel Avenue; real estate agents say it wouldn’t have had a chance 10 years ago.

Bill O'Leary / The Washington Post

The center of Old Town in Takoma Park. The city’s corn silo still stands, and it still refuses to buy bottled water, but the community tool library is gone, and a rare exception to its nuclear-free zone ordinance was made last month.

June 29, 2012

The center of Old Town in Takoma Park. The city’s corn silo still stands, and it still refuses to buy bottled water, but the community tool library is gone, and a rare exception to its nuclear-free zone ordinance was made last month.

Bill O'Leary / The Washington Post

A statue of a rooster named Roscoe adorns the plaza in the center of Old Town. A plaque erected by 'friends of Roscoe' says the bird lived here from 1989 to 1999 and 'brought joy into our urban lives.'

June 29, 2012

A statue of a rooster named Roscoe adorns the plaza in the center of Old Town. A plaque erected by "friends of Roscoe" says the bird lived here from 1989 to 1999 and "brought joy into our urban lives."

Bill O'Leary / The Washington Post

Pedestrians cross Carroll Avenue in Takoma Park. 'Takoma is getting older, or at least the activists are getting older, and not as engaged,' says Eric Hensal, who moved to the city in 2003 and is running for a seat on the City Council. 'It’s almost like Takoma really is at the post-hippie phase.'

June 29, 2012

Pedestrians cross Carroll Avenue in Takoma Park. "Takoma is getting older, or at least the activists are getting older, and not as engaged," says Eric Hensal, who moved to the city in 2003 and is running for a seat on the City Council. "It’s almost like Takoma really is at the post-hippie phase."

Bill O'Leary / The Washington Post

Poem-bearing posters such as this one, designed in collaboration with students at nearby Montgomery College as part of the city’s Poetry Walk, have lined Carroll Avenue in Takoma Park since 2007.

June 29, 2012

Poem-bearing posters such as this one, designed in collaboration with students at nearby Montgomery College as part of the city’s Poetry Walk, have lined Carroll Avenue in Takoma Park since 2007.

Bill O'Leary / The Washington Post

Judith Webb, a retired educator and storyteller, has noticed a change in the younger generation that is moving in. They are more conservative, generally, she says. City historian Diana Kohn says that 'between 1963 and 1980, there was one protest after another.' But eventually, the young hippies started cleaning up houses, marrying, having kids, becoming the 'establishment,' Kohn says. 'Now they are homeowners, and they care about the schools, because their interests change.'

June 29, 2012

Judith Webb, a retired educator and storyteller, has noticed a change in the younger generation that is moving in. They are more conservative, generally, she says. City historian Diana Kohn says that "between 1963 and 1980, there was one protest after another." But eventually, the young hippies started cleaning up houses, marrying, having kids, becoming the "establishment," Kohn says. "Now they are homeowners, and they care about the schools, because their interests change."

Bill O'Leary / The Washington Post

A customer exits the S&A Beads shop on Laurel Avenue. Housing prices have have doubled in the past decade, with million-dollar homes first popping up in the 1990s.

June 29, 2012

A customer exits the S&A Beads shop on Laurel Avenue. Housing prices have have doubled in the past decade, with million-dollar homes first popping up in the 1990s.

Bill O'Leary / The Washington Post

A view of Carroll Avenue from beneath the old gazebo in the Old Town section of Takoma Park. Despite some changes, the city still has pride in its progressive values: In recent years, it built a corn silo for alternative energy and started powering city facilities using wind energy. This year, it moved to defend its foreigner voting law, which allows non-U.S. citizens to vote in city elections.

June 29, 2012

A view of Carroll Avenue from beneath the old gazebo in the Old Town section of Takoma Park. Despite some changes, the city still has pride in its progressive values: In recent years, it built a corn silo for alternative energy and started powering city facilities using wind energy. This year, it moved to defend its foreigner voting law, which allows non-U.S. citizens to vote in city elections.

Bill O'Leary / The Washington Post

People flock to Takoma Park to visit the very popular farmers market on Sunday morning.

April 29, 2012

People flock to Takoma Park to visit the very popular farmers market on Sunday morning.

Sarah L. Voisin / THE WASHINGTON POST

Visitors look over produce and other items at a farmers market.

April 29, 2012

Visitors look over produce and other items at a farmers market.

Sarah L. Voisin / THE WASHINGTON POST

Children dance to the music of Frank Cassel, right.

April 29, 2012

Children dance to the music of Frank Cassel, right.

Sarah L. Voisin / THE WASHINGTON POST

Eve Jenkins of Takoma Park shops at the store called Now and Then.

July 5, 2012

Eve Jenkins of Takoma Park shops at the store called Now and Then.

Sarah L. Voisin / THE WASHINGTON POST

Miyah Cook, 15, and Anadoria Delcid, 15, both of Silver Spring, sit on a park bench after a day of shopping.

July 5, 2012

Miyah Cook, 15, and Anadoria Delcid, 15, both of Silver Spring, sit on a park bench after a day of shopping.

Sarah L. Voisin / THE WASHINGTON POST

People visit the farmers market in Takoma Park.

April 29, 2012

People visit the farmers market in Takoma Park.

Sarah L. Voisin / THE WASHINGTON POST

FEATURED PHOTO GALLERIES

WASHINGTON, DC - MAY 13: Many seminary graduates are choosing not to become pastors. Rebecca J. Cole received her Master of Divinity and is becoming a community organizer on Capitol Hill. She hugs another graduate after the ceremony. The 2013 Commencement ceremony for Wesley Theological Seminary was held on May 13 at the Washington National Cathedral. (Photo by Sarah L. Voisin/The Washington Post)

Eager to minister, but not from the pulpit

An increasing number of divinity students who don’t plan to become pastors envision using their degrees to “minister” in a...

ARLINGTON, VA- MAY 17: Thousands of bike enthusiasts took to the streets Friday, May 17, 2013 in celebration of Bike to Work day. Bikers leave the Rosslyn Gateway Park pit stop on Friday morning. Commuter Connections and The Washington Area Bicyclist Association hosted cyclists at 70 pit stops across the metropolitan region. (Photo by Amanda Voisard/For the Washington Post)

Thousands participate in Bike to Work Day

More than 14,000 people registered for the area's annual celebration of commuting on two wheels.

epa03704474 A Muslim woman at the ThetKalPyin temporary relief camp near Sittwe in Rakhine State, Western Myanmar, 17 May 2013. A total of 13 people were confirmed dead in neighboring Bangladesh as people began to return home from shelters, a day after Cyclone Mahasen hit the coast, officials said 17 May. EPA/NYEIN CHAN NAING

Photos of the day

Cyclone Mahasen, Texas tornadoes, puffin census, melting Swiss glacier and more.

LOS ANGELES, CA - MAY 16: American Idol Season 12 Winner Candice Glover (C) is seen onstage during Fox's 'American Idol 2013' Finale Results Show at Nokia Theatre L.A. Live on May 16, 2013 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Kevin Winter/Getty Images)

Candice Glover wins 12th season of ‘American Idol’

The 23-year-old vocal powerhouse from St. Helena Island, S.C., tops competition in her third try.

US actress Claire Julien smiles on May 16, 2013 while posing during a photocall for the film 'The Bling Ring' at the 66th edition of the Cannes Film Festival in Cannes. Cannes, one of the world's top film festivals, opened on May 15 and will climax on May 26 with awards selected by a jury headed this year by Hollywood legend Steven Spielberg. AFP PHOTO / ALBERTO PIZZOLI (Photo credit should read ALBERTO PIZZOLI/AFP/Getty Images)

Eye on entertainment

Claire Julien, David Hasselhoff, Freida Pinto, Candice Glover, Martin Short and more.

**LOC IMAGE** Geo. Hamilton, Assistant Superintendent, Cambria Iron Mills house, Johnstown Flood, May 31st, 1889. (Photo by Ernest Walter Histed / Library of Congress)

The Johnstown Flood of 1889

On May 31, 1889, the South Fork dam that held Lake Conemaugh failed, and 20 million tons of water descended upon Johnstown, Pa. The flood claimed the lives of 2,209 people and spurred...

HACIPASA, TURKEY - MAY 5: Syrian refugee Hala ponders her life on the run on Sunday, May 5, 2013, in Hacipasa, Turkey. Three times this morning, the sounds of aircrafts were followed by explosions that shook the ground. Hacipasa, which sits just across the river border from Syria, is home of several hundred Syrian refugees who have been displaced by their home country's conflict. For a year, Hala and her family have been displaced from their home village in Syria because of violent conflict. After bouncing from village to village, fleeing bombings that seemed to follow them, the family crossed into Turkey six weeks ago. Initially, the family was deported back into Syria, where they lived in camps for internally displaced Syrians. But when the camps were bombed, the family was allowed to cross into Turkey. Hala said, 'The blood of the people who died in Syria, the martyrs, is our sad song, but nobody is listening.' (Photo by Jahi Chikwendiu/The Washington Post)

Turkey faces a refugee crisis

More than 400,000 Syrians have crossed into Turkey seeking refuge from the conflict at home. Finding its resources stretched, Turkey is urgently appealing for international aid and...

(FILES) In this file picture taken on January 31, 2013 British football player David Beckham poses presenting his new jersey after a press conference at the Parc des Princes stadium in Paris. David Beckham is to retire from professional football at the end of the season, his representative announced on May 16, 2013. The 38-year-old midfielder has played for Manchester United, Real Madrid, Los Angeles Galaxy and AC Milan, as well as winning 115 caps for England, and recently won the French Ligue 1 championship with Paris Saint-Germain. AFP PHOTO / FRANCK FIFEFRANCK FIFE/AFP/Getty Images

David Beckham announces his retirement

The 38-year-old British soccer superstar says he will retire when his French team’s season ends May 26.

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