1. Community

The community in a small town really is phenomenal. Going to the gas station for milk and bread can find you standing there in the parking lot for five to10 minutes because you ran into someone you know, and the fairs and festivals can find almost everyone coming out, since there isn’t always something happening. Along with that, when a member of the community leaves us and becomes a guardian angel the true strength of the community shows. The support given, the small baskets of food dropped by to almost rid the need of cooking from the family and the general help given is just too hard to describe with words. All I can ever do is be thankful for the community I call mine: my small town.

2. Friends

The friends you make in a small community like mine are friends that you will keep forever. The bond between friends is like that of the bond between siblings. You end up with several “moms” and are always welcome in their homes. Every summer is spent with your friends at the pool, in the park, riding bikes, going fishing, wading in the edges of the river or hiking through the woods just enjoying life. Fall, Winter and Spring find you in the classroom making jokes, being shushed by the teacher and playing tag out on the playground. These are friends that stay with you through everything—good, bad, fun and sad—they are always there with you. My friends are always going to be my second family, and I will stand by them through anything.

3. Atmosphere

Living in a small town gives you this totally different feeling. The nights are quiet, other than maybe a dog barking. The days aren’t slow, but they aren’t exactly fast either. The atmosphere of small town living is just tranquil. Yeah, people have busy lives—this is a busy world, after all—but the town itself looks like it could stay the same and never know what might be going on. Businesses come and go, but the buildings only change with the name on the sign. Everything else seems constant. The people are kind. There is little to no worrying about looking at someone “wrong” or for “too long.” Anyone from an atmosphere like this understands the “farmer’s wave.” That small, two fingers raised of the steering wheel kind of wave. Just an acknowledgement that you exist. That’s all it is, but it means so much more because they acknowledge your existence, that you are someone in the community, visitor or resident.

4. Simplicity

Small town life is, in my opinion, simple. You have the minimum amount of worry. You go to school or work, you come home. You do things at home, you go to bed and you repeat. Yes, there is a little more to it than that—extracurricular activities at school, summer sports, church groups and other things like that—but those are still simple! They are just a part of the everyday life. Those just add a little bit more to your schedule and a little less time to relax, but it’s still enjoyable by those that come out to watch. Those extracurricular events are what bring out members of the community that you normally wouldn’t meet, and what make them so much better.

A small town has a strong, well-bonded community, many friends that are basically a second family, a wonderful atmosphere that makes it feel like so much more than a town, and a simple lifestyle that just makes you appreciate what you have. I’ve lived for 19 years in the same small-town community, have friends that I will keep for my entire lifetime and a support system stronger than any other I know. I am fortunate for where I grew up and grateful to my family for finding such an amazing place to grow up. My small town is a place I took for granted, but now I realize how wonderful it truly is, and I won’t ever forget that.