"Where I come from It's cornbread and chicken
Where I come from a lotta front porch pickin'
Where I come from tryin' to make a livin'
and workin' hard to get to heaven
Where I come from"
-Alan Jackson
If you come from a small town like I do, you're no stranger to the small town perks and nuisances. Here are only a few of the tell-tale signs that you come from a small town.
1. There's only traffic in town before and after school.
And when I say traffic I mean bumper to hitch traffic with dead game in the tailgate, depending on what season it is.
2. Anytime you’re in a traffic jam, chances are it’s because of a tractor.
God Bless the man on the tractor that helps put food on our table, but please hurry up!
3.If you wanted to meet up with your friends, you had to meet at Public Parking or the WalMart parking lot and pray the cops didn’t show up.
I mean cops as plural because cops in small towns never do anything without backup.
4.When people ask where you’re from you name the biggest town that’s closest to you.
For example, if you're from Hartwell, Franklin, or Elbert county, chances are you say you're close to Athens, Georgia or Atlanta, Georgia. Go ahead and get a map to find out what towns I'm talking about, I don't blame you.
5. You went to kindergarten with everyone in your graduating class.
No, seriously, this picture only shows part of the Honor Graduates that I went to elementary school with and graduated with!
6. You could name everyone you graduated with.
I bet you even remember who you sat next to, in front of and behind!
7. It’s impossible to date someone that isn’t someone else’s ex.
"Can you believe Susie is dating that Richard boy after he did....... to Katie three years ago?" It doesn't matter how long they've been broken up either. As soon as you start dating someone's ex, it's talked about across town.
8. When you introduce your friends to your grandparents, your grandparents figure out who they are by asking who their grandparents are.
It starts simple with, "Who are your parents," then it ends with your second cousin who was once removed on your mother's, father's side of the family. Chances are your grandparents went to school with them.
9. Sometimes the best stress relief comes from being surrounded by livestock.
Are there even words to describe the solitude between a farmer and his cows? Nope, I didn't think so either.
10. You prefer to ride down backroads than drive the main roads.
Why would you want to ride down the main roads and hit all that traffic between the only two red lights in your town?
11. If you want to go shopping or to the movies it’s at least a 30 min. drive either way.![]()
For most little towns in Northeast Georgia, you either go to Anderson, South Carolina or Commerce, Georgia. Only during Christmas and birthdays do you drive all the way down to Buford, Georgia and go to the Mall of Georgia.
12. Teachers often knew your siblings, or they taught them before.
Or, if you're like my sister and I, you look so much alike that you even get called by your sibling's name. Eventually you start to answer to whatever they call you. I've been answering to "Mary Grace and Anna Kathryn" for years.
13. When you get in trouble at school, your mother found out before you got home.![]()
If you're lucky like me, your mom is a school teacher, so she found out even quicker! Sometimes my mother would walk down to my classroom to ask me what I did to upset the teacher.
14. You’re never able to go to a grocery store without seeing someone you know.
When you do see someone you know, it goes one of three ways: Duck and cover, Smile and say "hi", or end up spending 30 minutes catching up on how Billy's puppy chewed up the shoes that were left on the front porch.
15. You’re only 5 mins from a "Dolla' Gentral" (PSA: Danielsville is getting a major upgraded Dolla' Gentral! It's huge!
When you live 25 minutes from town, you don't have time to drive back to WalMart to pick up the sunscreen your sister forgot to pick up, or the milk your husband said he, "won't forget to get the milk this time."
16. Fine dining is at your local Zaxby’s establishment.
I say fine dining because Zaxby's can get expensive, and the inside is a lot cleaner than the Burger King down the street.
