But for Como residents, it's everyday life. For many years, it remained a large open space for picnicking and other outdoor activities. Part of its popularity undeniably is its price. While there are modest charges to visit the conservatory or use the pool and fees to play golf or rent picnic shelters or the pavilion, most of Como's attractions are free - and quickly accessible by foot or bike for many of its residential neighbors. The park is not the only source of pride for Como residents.
Residents treasure living in what they consider a highly stable, well-kept community.
Como's population declined 8.3 percent in the 1970s, but rebounded quickly with a 9.9 percent increase in the '80s and now has edged within a few hundred of its 1970 population. Como's concern about community is also evident in efforts to set up a Living at Home block-nurse program similar to successful operations in neighboring St. Anthony and North End neighborhoods. Como needs block nurses because it has a number of elderly people, many of them lifelong residents who don't want to move away but need some assistance to stay in their homes. Como's rebounding population has been triggered by a significant increase in new housing units, which grew by 14.4 percent in the 1970s and 17.2 percent in the 1980s. The newer homes fit in well among an architectural mix of older housing styles, spanning more than a century of construction that was spurred earlier by recreation and rural ambiance and later by transportation that linked the once-isolated Como area with the central city.