If you had the pleasure of growing up in a small town you know those small, distinguishable factors about your town that set it apart from any other place in the country. Every community has it's own "thing" to be noted for, and that's part of what makes home, home. But in a greater sense, small town U.S.A. is untied by simple giveaways, connecting the natives of these nationwide nooks and crannies in the weirdest ways possible. Since coming to college I've noticed that us small town kids have extremely different memories than you city slickers do, so I've compiled my favorite staples of the small town life we lived.
1. Soccer mom minivans or Suburbans.
Whatever sport was popular in 2006 whether you were in elementary or middle school, it's almost a guarantee that your mom drove her Honda Odyssey or Chevy Suburban with a backseat full of six-seven hellish kids to games and practices every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. Whether it be soccer, football, or lacrosse, someone's mom had this car, or you clearly didn't live in the 'burbs.
2. The traditional go-to house.
Every friend group has it. When there's nothing to do for miles, someone in the friend group always has a house to open. It just becomes routine to meet up here, hang out with the 'rents, get ready for dances, concerts, have sleepovers, bonfires, etc. Sometimes you might just end up there when your friend isn't even home, and it's not uncomfortable because their parents already expect you. (Shout-out to Lauren and Grace, and especially Big Pete's barbecue for never letting us down).
3. Neighborhood gossip.
Your business is never just your business whether you like it or not, and everyone on the street knows it. Whether it be through letters, neighborhood conventions, book club, or bus stop recaps, every neighborhood has their go-to spokesperson or "Susan" for gossip and local news. Did Shirley's son really smash that mailbox last weekend? Did you hear how Beth-Ann dropped her daughter off 20 minutes late for soccer practice and then again for her clarinet recital? Or I'm sure you heard how Bob and Dan are in a tiff over who needs to clean the snow blower off in their shared ownership because Dan cleaned it last week. Maybe you missed out on how Jennifer got deferred from her number one. Or how the Jones family has missed church two weeks in a row. But have no fear; even if you did miss out on the weekly neighborhood scoop, Susan surely knows the latest and greatest, and I'm positive she will be over the moon to fill you in at the mailbox tomorrow.
4. Book club.
No one's mom ever reads the book or even cares to buy it (kind of like half of the college population) but they insist on attending the weekly meeting to drink six bottles of wine and force 12 angry husbands to come home and watch 30 angry grade school children. Read on, mommas. You need this.
5. The 7th generation family, born and raised.
That one family who has never left and probably never will. They know everyone in the community, every local business owner, and are your walking, talking GPS for your local residence (even though the two exit town is probably hard to get lost in anyway). There's always one child from this family in your classes, and on the first day of school the teacher will promptly ask Billy how his father is, if his uncle is still managing the local food mart, and to wish him well because its been "ages since she's seen him."
6. A cousin, member of your family, step-sibling, or distant relative in at least one of your classes.
Living in a small town means not only does everyone know everyone, and everyone knows your business, you're also quite possibly related to a few of the residents in town. Between large family trees, mixed families, divorce, and new marriages, some cousin or step-sibling will be the latest edition to your English class by the time you graduate high school.
7. An infamous bus route.
It's your worst nightmare when you're in a rush or on a serious time crunch: getting stuck behind the school bus. Not only is this just an inconvenience in a city or elsewhere in the country, it's especially frustrating when it happens in a small town because the school bus stops at every. Single. House. The minute you pull up behind bus 17, you know it's going to be a long, painful drive.
8. "The Diner"
No matter what small town you're in, or what part of the country, every small town has a diner that everyone refers to as "the diner" regardless of its actual name.
9. A hometown hero.
Whether it be the local fireman or the 101-year-old librarian, every small town has someone as the designated face of that area. If you're from Guilford, CT as I am, you'd probably have to agree that our new hometown hero is last year's winner of "American Idol," Nick Fradiani, whether he likes it or not. People are always "fangirling" at him; teenagers, mothers, and my mother included. Whenever he's out and about, it's pure chaos, and for a split second you'd be convinced small-town-U.S.A. was Hollywood. His winning of "American Idol" was definitely the most exciting thing that will ever happen to Guilford, so congrats, Nick, you'll probably be our "hero" for all of eternity.
10. Designated "Crazies."
Once you read this everyone pictures who it is in their town. Whether it's the nutty guy who writes to the paper every week, the old man on the corner who no child will tread on his lawn because they all know too well what'll happen to them if they do, the woman who comes in screaming to town hall meetings every week, or maybe it's you and your family. We all have them, and for some unknown reason let them continue on with their socially unacceptable ways; it's good for entertainment, I suppose.
11. A Smith family.
Maybe it's the most common name in America, but this is just a fact. Every small town has at least one Smith family.
Granted, there's always an exception to the rule, but for the most part, living in a small town is one of those things that doesn't exactly change too much no matter where you live. Some people hate it and others don't mind, but personally I just enjoy these comforts of living in a close-knit community.
