I never really appreciated the small town of Claremont until after I left for college. From its proximity to five renowned colleges to its resemblance to Rosewood from Pretty Little Liars, it’s a town I’ve come to truly appreciate.

Claremont is about an hour or so away from L.A. It’s a small town - a very small town. Nevertheless its beauties are unbound by the restrictions of descriptive words as they do it no justice. To me, the town is incredibly special. It has a village that’s filled with unique, privately managed businesses that further add to the uniqueness of the overall city. You’ll rarely find the restaurants and shopping attractions anywhere else. What also contributes heavily to the grandeur of the city is the fact that it’s the home of five very prestigious colleges. They’re known as the Five-C’s (The Five Claremont Colleges): Pomona, McKenna, Scripps, Pitzer, and Harvey Mudd. They’re all very distinguished, both in their reputation as educational institutions and their campus. They all have their own personalities despite not having any distinct borders separating them. In fact, Claremont is known as a college town because of how college centered it is (so much so we actually named a lot of our streets after famous colleges). Whenever I give a tour of my town I never leave out the village or the colleges because they’re such a huge part of what makes my town so special.

The people in Claremont are also very different. They’re insanely nice - unreasonably so. Everyone is all smiles and willing to help a lost soul in a heart beat. Of course not everyone is this way, but a good majority of them are and I’ve had the privilege of being acquainted with such people.

I never really appreciated Claremont. Maybe it has to do with the fact that I moved there during my early high school years and had a limited amount of time to really grow attached to it. After leaving for college and returning with a friend who was staying over did I learn how much I was fond of it. I realized how tight-knit everything was. I learned how convenient and strategically placed all of the attractions were; you can find anything you really want or need at a convenient distance. I loved how despite what we had to offer could be offered in other towns, it still maintained a personality entirely its own.

I may have lived in this small town for a short duration of four years but I will never hesitate to say that this is where I came from and this is my home. The quirky shops, the idiosyncratic eateries, the unconventional businesses, and the curious people are all things that make Claremont, Claremont.