Growing up in a small town usually creates two types of people. There are the ones who love everything about it—they love the charm and the hominess, the space and the comfort. There is no place on earth as great as their hometown.
Then there are the people who have been itching to escape the small town life for as long as they could walk. The very smallness that brings charm to the town for many creates walls for these.
And then there are people who experience some of both.
However you feel about your hometown, if you’ve moved away to a bigger city for college, you have only become more aware of all the things that sets it apart. Each small town has its individual quirks, and throughout childhood and high school, you probably took yours for granted. In a bigger city, with new friends and new activities, constant focus on school and a new social atmosphere, your life has totally changed. Going home for the weekend can begin to seem like a blast from the past, an alternate reality, things that just don’t happen in your day to day life in your college city.
A weekend spent in your hometown might consist of hiding away at your parents’ house, sleeping all day and eating free homemade food, simply in an effort to escape the trauma of the semester. On more interesting weekends, though, perhaps you have delved into the reminiscent quirkiness of small town life and enjoyed some of the pleasures only existent in places with a population under 10,000.
1. People recognize you wherever you go.
Whether it’s at the grocery store, a fast food restaurant, the bank or simply driving down Main Street, it is inevitable that you will run into someone that you know. It might be an old high school friend, distant relative or perhaps it’s the guy who works the cash register. If you’ve ever heard the phrase “It takes a village,” you know that when you’re raised in a small town, you’re raised by the small town. Most people here have watched you grow up, heard about your endeavors in a new city and inevitably ask, “So how’s school going?
2. You meet with old friends at some random place where you used to hang out.
A few weekends ago, a high school friend of mine laughed with me about the fact that of all the places to meet up in town, we chose the Sonic Drive-In, and not because we were buying a meal. Growing up in a small town teaches you to make the best of what you have, because as far as places to hang out, there simply aren’t many. Sonic is where my classmates and I frequently met up after school during the spring and meeting there is sweetly reminiscent. Whether it’s the old bowling alley, the mall or your high school football field, there’s nothing like revisiting obscure places made significant only by the memories made on them.
3.You drive around.
Related to the previous point, this comes as a direct result of a small town’s lack of anything to actually do. Growing up, a popular activity of high school kids was to spend time with friends while aimlessly driving around the outskirts of towns. There’s no better way to catch up with old friends then to place yourselves back in that era, singing old favorites with windows down and pretending you never left.
4. You eat local food.
Small towns all have at least one restaurant that is directly associated with home. In my experience, for whatever reason, it’s often some little Mexican place, or perhaps a burger joint. There is no sushi in small towns, and rarely a wide array of date night options—but there is nothing that feels more like home than local food.
5. You visit the city’s high-class bar.
Not. There is truly nothing in the world like small town bars. Smelly, dingy and kind of dirty even—this is the night life of small towns. There are probably way more old men there than college students, and the music ranges from old country to hardcore rap. But a trip home wouldn’t be a trip home without this excursion.
Whether small town life is the life for you, or you dream of the big city, no one can deny that growing up in these towns gives us a sense of home incredibly unique from the rest of the world. Memories permeate everywhere, and there is a sense of community you won’t find anywhere else. These weekends home are often a welcome escape from the chaos and stress of college life in a big city, and wherever I end up after this, I wouldn’t trade this heritage for anything.
