I've spent my entire life living in a city that has 150,000 people. There were five high schools in my town and 800 people in my graduating class. When I got to college, I found out that my freshman year roommate and her twin sister came from a small town with just over a thousand people and a graduating class of a whopping 80 members.
As you can imagine, our lives growing up were just a little bit different... I soon learned that small town life is very unique, and there are just some things that you can only understand if your roommate was from one of these towns (or if you're a small town kid yourself).
1. You know the names of half the people in their graduating class.
You probably also know their high school reputation, what sports they played and any drama or scandals they were involved in. When you actually meet them, you feel like you've known them for years.
2. They talk about going to parties in the middle of corn fields.
Forget your friends' basement when their parents were out of town, parties in small towns take place in empty fields and involve bonfires and lots of beer.
3. You've been to more of their high school's sporting events than your own high school's.
In small towns, life revolves around the high school sports teams. The whole town turns out to support the athletes on Friday night.
4. They try to set you up with people they went to high school with.
If you're like me, you might have even dated one of them.
5. You attend their county fair every year.
The fair is one of the biggest events of the year, so there's no way you're going to miss out on that. If you're lucky they have younger siblings who still show animals for 4-H, so you get to stay in their camper at the fair.
6. People at their church know you by name.
They might even ask your roommate how you're doing if it's been a while since they've seen you.
7. They went to the same school K-12.
And it's more than likely that their parents (and maybe even grandparents) did too.
8. You can't go anywhere without running into someone they know.
You almost have to schedule in extra time for when you run into their high school math teacher, because you know it's inevitable.
9. If they don't live on a farm, they definitely know someone who does.
There's also a very high chance that they learned how to drive a tractor before they learned how to drive a car.
10. You know the name of all the other small towns in a 30-mile radius.
You also know the names of all the schools in those towns and their reputation in sports. Because, after all, high school sports = life.
11. They can't fathom what it was like to have more than 100 people in your graduating class.
"You mean not only did you not know everyone in your whole school, but you didn't even know everyone in your graduating class???" Like I mentioned, my graduating class was literally ten times the size of my roommate's, so hearing that there were people at my graduation who I'd never even heard of before was shocking to her.
12. You know all the cool places to hang out in town.
All four of them, that is, and one of those four is probably Walmart.
13. They've instilled a hatred of their rival high school in you.
I couldn't tell you what Lincolnview ever did to me, but all I know is I'd rather be caught dead than be a Lincolnview fan in Crestview territory.
14. You're always up to date on the town gossip.
"Did you hear that Lisa's pregnant and Tommy is the father??"
15. They couldn't wait to get out, but always love going back.
They may joke about how comically small their hometown is and how they just couldn't wait to get out for college, but you know that it'll always hold a special place in their heart and that, no matter what, they'll always look forward to making a trip back home.
* * *
It really is true what they say about small town charm, and you look forward to getting to experience your best friend's small-town life whenever you get the chance.
