I have to admit to something; I've always wanted to move to a big city like New York or L.A. But now that I'm seriously contemplating my options after college, I'm not so sure that's still my dream. Being from a small has made me who I am today, and wouldn't trade my childhood memories for the world. Here are just a few of the reasons why I'm proud to say I'm from Mooresville, Alabama.
1. Everyone knows you.
You can walk down the street and wave to all your neighbors because you've met all of them at least 50 times, and you've probably been over for dinner before, too.
2. You have an endless supply of babysitting and pet-sitting jobs.
You don't even have to join a church group or print out a resume. People just know you and whether or not you're going to be in town this weekend. So you've got two babysitting jobs, a dog-sitting job, and you have to water the neighbors flowers tomorrow. You've got this, right?
3. You're friends with more people than just your age group.
This one may surprise you, but talking to all those adults who are at community events is really great. They were always so supportive of your life goals, and they still are!
4. Neighborhood events are SO MUCH FUN!
Seriously, though, it's so much fun to hang out with your neighborhood annual parties without all those awkward introductions or spending the entire time trying to remember the name of the person who said "hi" when you walked in.
5. You can become famous in a heartbeat.
Everyone saw you in that school show last year, or heard you sing at karaoke night, or saw that you rescued that little kitten from the side of the road. In fact, you've probably had an article written about you or had a picture circulate on social media at least once.
6. You grew up just down the street from your best friend.
Even if you did have to go "all the way across town" to see them, it never took you more than 10 minutes to meet up at your favorite hide out.
7. You never have to worry about traffic jams and getting stuck on the highway for hours.
You feel sorry for those people who have to spend hours on their ride home from work. Five o'clock traffic doesn't mean a line of bumper-to-bumper traffic for the next three hours.
8. You will treasure your childhood memories forever.
You made some great memories, and you kind of never want to leave. Or if you do, you want to move to a neighborhood that is just as amazing as the one you're proud to hail from. And you'll never really leave. You know you'll be back to visit soon.
