1. Everywhere you go, you know everyone.
Whether you’re shopping for groceries, getting slurpees, going to the bank, or going out to eat, you run into more than one person that you know. If you’re home from college, it’s fun catching up with everyone, but you most likely have to answer the same question over and over again.
2. Everyone knows your business.
It does not matter if you did something 10, 20, or even 45 minutes ago, you better be rushing to whatever destination your mother is at before someone else tells her. Living in a small town and graduating in a high school with 200 people and one hallway, everyone knows your life, almost before you do.
3. Your high school graduating class has less than 50 kids.
It shocks me every time someone says they graduated with 2,000 students. There are barely 2,000 residents in my entire town. I would have it no other way, though. My small class of 42 students taught me many valuable lessons and brought me so much joy throughout the four years we were bound together.
4. There’s nothing to do.
There are only so many times you can choose to “go out on the town” (which really means going to dinner and then binge watching Netflix), go to the local park to hang out, or walk the six major streets you have. You constantly find yourself driving at least two hours to do something somewhat exciting.
5. You most likely have the same teachers as your siblings, and maybe even your parents.
Going through high school I was known as my older brother’s sister. Teachers always had stories from when he was in school. Most, if not all of my teachers, knew my parents and even had stories of them from when they went to school with each other.
6. Friday night football is a serious deal.
Everyone you know will be attending the Friday night game in support of your local football team. If you weren’t at the football game, you were either sick or in trouble.
7. You have annual small-town celebrations.
Every year toward the end of July, my little town has “Wray Dayz.” All of the college kids come home and spend the weekend with their families and participate in activities. We have events such as fun night (which is basically fun, little games, music and food on Main Street), parades, dances, mud volleyball and much more. It’s a great time to catch up with people and celebrate the greatness of living in the small town community.
8. You love it, but hate it.
When you’re home, you find yourself constantly saying how boring it is. But when you’re at college, you constantly try and convince people of the small-town charm.
