Growing up in a small area shapes everything about who you are. No matter how far you stray from your small town, you will forever be changed by the experiences you had there. The place where you grew up will always be your home at heart. Here are 10 reasons why the heart of a small town girl can bring a special kind of light into your life.

1. She had to earn her independence.

When you grow up in a small town, leaving can be terrifying. You become so comfortable with the things you know. The same old routines. The people you’ve known your whole life. When you leave behind what you’ve always known, it takes a lot of courage. You become your own comfort and you become the kind of independent that is strong and powerful. There is beauty in a woman that has created her own strength and power.

2. She’s a family girl.

Family is everything in a small town. Family is indestructible. Family is forever. And family isn’t always just blood. She has formed bonds and relationships that have changed her life forever with people she will always love. She understands the importance of compromise and making sacrifices for others. She values disagreement and will never let it deter her from loving you through them. Affection is no stranger to her. She is blatantly honest, but she is equally just as open.

3. And that means your friends and family too.

Relationships are the center of everything. Family. Friends. Neighborhoods. They are all one circle of individuals bonded together in a small town. When you are in a relationship with her, her family will become yours and yours hers. She will chat with your grandma on the weekends. She will cook dinner with your mom. She will go shopping with your sister. She will live for game nights with your family and hearing the same funny family stories for the millionth time. Your friends will become her friends too and she would do anything for them. What is important to you will become important to her too.

4. She will never be a materialistic kind of girl.

You won’t find designer brands and expensive luxuries in a small town world. She believes in the meaning of small things, like moments and memories. She grew up cherishing days at the lake and late nights on the swings at the local park, not price tags and belongings. She would take campfires and s’mores over jewels and diamonds any day. She will never love you for money or how much you spend on her, but for what truly matters.

5. She values appreciation.

Small town life for her meant small pockets. She didn’t have everything handed to her, nor did she live off of mommy and daddy. She experienced hardship. She’s lived paycheck to paycheck. The finer things are a lifetime dream for her, but they are not a necessity, nor are they expected from you. She learned to value college education as a gift and not an expectation. She will never take what she has for granted. She will appreciate every little blessing in her life, including you.

7. She knows how to work hard.

In her world, people will work the same job their whole lives with no complaints or ungratefulness. Working was a responsibility, not a job. She learned how to work hard for what she wanted. She spent her whole life working towards her dreams. She is a stranger to the word lazy. You will admire her passion, her desire, and her will to fight.

8. She is no stranger to consequence.

Where she grew up, everybody knew everybody. No exaggeration. When you made a mistake, everyone in a ten mile radius knew all about it by the end of the day. Your reputation is permanent. It follows you everywhere you go. The grocery store. The bank. The school hallways. In a small-town, she has never been able to blend into the crowd. She lost people that once meant the world to her. She learned to be thoughtful. She learned to be responsible. She will never be reckless with your heart.

9. She isn’t afraid to get down and dirty.

She spent her younger years swimming in the creek, adventuring in the woods, and riding quads through the dirt. She loves wild animals and the fresh air. She has no problem taking risks and standing up for herself. She never shied away from getting her hands dirty, and she won’t be afraid to get them dirty for you. She will lean on you when she needs your help, but she isn’t afraid to let you lean on her too.

10. She believes in people.

She believes in second chances. She believes in fighting for what you want. She believes in the beauty of open minds and big dreams. She’s optimistic and always tries to see the good in people. She’s a nurturer. And she has the biggest heart out of anyone you will ever meet. She has always been a radiant light in a dark world, and when she grew up that never left her. Because she will always be that small town girl at heart.