Side by side they nestle, with tree-lined streets, streams running through them and histories that extend back into the 19th Century. Yet, these towns have their distinctive personalities. Riverside’s winding streets and parks are products of the creativity of renowned landscape architect, Frederick Law Olmsted. Brookfield has a more traditional layout, but with one of the largest zoos in the world, it attracts people from far and near. Although each town has its own identity, their individualities merge when it comes to helping people in need. Fifty churches in the area support a shelter program for homeless people. And volunteers for a Brookfield nursing home visit the elderly who live alone to help them remain independent. An official said, “We want those great traditions that have been here to continue on . . . that’s what was important a couple of generations ago, and it’s what will be important a couple of generations from now.”
