1. You know everyone and everyone knows you.
When I was little, probably about five years old, I walked out of the front door of my house and managed to get two blocks away from home. A guy saw me walking down the road, knew who I was, knew who my parents were, and took me back to my house. This just goes to show, everyone knows everyone. In the community I grew up in, there really wasn't such a thing as "stranger danger."
2. The "talk of the town" is not just a saying.
Since everyone knows everyone, your business becomes everyone's business. In a small town, it's pretty hard to keep big news as quiet news. Someone gets engaged? You'll know before the day is over. Your mom's friend's son's girlfriend was in the paper because she got a speeding ticket? Most likely you already knew before the paper came out. But trust me, it's not always good news that gets passed around.
3. High school rivalries are a real thing, and they're everything.
In the town I grew up in, there were two schools within our community that felt the need to "hate" each other because we were two schools in one community. I remember trying to come up with names to make fun of their school and they did it right back. IF you were friends with people from the other school, it was already a big enough deal, but you better believe that when you played each other in sporting events- that friendship meant nothing.
4. At least there's a bowling alley.
When my friends and I would try to play stuff to do on a Friday night, our options were always limited. "We could go on a walk on the trails? Oh! We could go to the bowling alley?" Yes. Those were pretty much the only options for "fun" provided by the community.
5. A trip to the grocery store is never just a trip to the grocery store.
As I said, everyone knows everyone. Within minutes of being at the grocery store, you'll find someone that chats with you about your week and how school is going and how your family is doing. This doesn't just happen only once, it will happen by the fruit, in the pickle aisle, by the cheese, and when you're getting toilet paper. By the time you get your talking done plus picking up all your necessities, you will have been in there way longer than planned.
6. You can get across town in less than 10 minutes.
The advantages to living in a small town mean you can get about anywhere in ten minutes -- but if you drive like me, about five (I'm kidding mom). It doesn't take long to drive to your friends, to get to the restaurant you're meeting your parents at, and it certainly doesn't take long to drive to McDonald's for a midnight snack.
7. The "where were you on Sunday?" question.
It's pretty easy to notice if someone is gone from church one Sunday, and you better hope you weren't the one missing. Your mom will come home and say "Oh, so-and-so asked where you were today." Or you see the old lady that always pinches your cheek out to eat and she asks where you were on Sunday, and your answer might just be you stuttering.
8. You remember when Walmart came to town.
Nothing was a bigger deal than when Walmart moved into town. Finally, we had a grocery store that actually had a foods section and a toys sections AND a tire and repair section. Everyone started to go to Walmart- like it was the place to be. It became the main place for grocery shopping... and socializing.
9. You get used to getting stuck behind tractors.
And it's not just on the country roads- you'll see this happen in town. Even though they take up the whole road and drive 15 mph, you learn that when this happens, you just have to crank the music and enjoy the drive.
10. You learn to make your own fun.
Since there isn't much besides a park and a bowling alley, you learn to create your own type of fun. Whether it's running to Walmart at 11 p.m. and riding skateboards around, or going TPing, hot tubbing at 2 a.m., going on car rides late at night, visiting so-called haunted graveyards, sleeping outside under the stars, taking bike rides and going on picnics, or having bonfires -- you learn that it doesn't matter what you're doing- as long as you're with the right people, you can have a blast in a small town.
