I grew up in a town that no one knows but where everyone knows you. I can guarantee you probably can’t find it on the map. It had a couple stoplights but you could get from one side to the other in about five minutes. The type of town that you couldn’t get out of fast enough when you graduated but the same town you love going back to now. If you grew up in a town like this, you understand. Here are fifteen signs that you know you grew up in a town like this.
1. When you say where you’re from and people look at you with a blank face.
This happens even more now that I have moved to the city. I say where I am from and people just look at me and say, "Where?"
2. You had the same friends the entire time you were growing up.
You met them in preschool and graduated high school with them. They might not have always been in your class but y’all were always together!
3. You cant go anywhere without running into someone you know.
You can't go to the store, post office, or local coffee shop without running into at least one or two people you know. 
4. Most of the time, parties were a bonfire, at the water tower, or at a house.
Parties after the games or on Saturdays were always fun! You could count on a bonfire or a party at the water tower every weekend. And those house parties! Thankfully everyone knew all the cops.
5. You had a Wal-Mart or store like it, but if you wanted to actually go shopping you had to drive at least an hour.
We didn't have any fancy stores in town. If you wanted to go shopping for clothes you had to drive at least an hour out of town. You planned trips out of town with your friends just to be able to go shopping. 
6. If it was Friday night, you could find everyone in town at the football game.
Without a doubt, everyone was at the game! If you were dating someone on the team, you made some cheesy sign.
7. You pretty much knew everyone in your high school and all their siblings.
It's more than likely that that the people in your high school were the same people you went to elementary school and middle school with. Not only did you know them, but you knew their siblings too. And at least once you had your friend's parent as a teacher.
8. Everyone met up at the donut shop before going out.
If you were going to the game, a party, or just hanging out, everyone met up at the donut shop. It was in the middle of town and always open
9.Your parents knew if you got in trouble before you even got home.
It didn’t matter if you skipped school or got in trouble, mom and dad knew before you got home. Even after I moved away this was still true. I went home a couple years ago and got pulled over. Before I even pulled away from the curb my mom was calling me to ask me what I had done. 
10. The first time you move out of town, you get culture shock.
This is the most real thing you will face! I moved to a town that could fit multiple times in the city I live in now. Everything was new and shiny and, let me tell you, it was so overwhelming. There were restaurants that I had never heard of and stores I had never been to. And traffic, oh the traffic! It was all so new and different.
11. You learned how to drive when you were like six.
You learned how to drive on a dirt road in your dad’s truck when you weren’t even tall enough to reach the pedals.
12. You could go shooting in the back yard, and no one minded.
I was one of the lucky ones. I grew up really far out, at least 30 minutes from the “town” I call home. We couldn’t even see our closest neighbor. My dad taught me how to shoot while standing on the porch. And to be honest, that was completely normal.
13. Half the roads in town are dirt.
We didn’t really have to worry about potholes because we drove on dirt roads. The dirt roads are now the thing you miss and one of your favorite parts about going home. Nothing beats rolling down the windows, cranking up the music and just driving. 
14. When you give directions, it's by landmark, not the street name.
I am still guilty of doing this. Anytime I give directions it's always by landmarks. To be completely honest, I don’t remember what a lot of the street names even were in my hometown.
15. When you do see someone you know, you either are really happy about it or try and avoid him or her completely.
If you went anywhere and ran into someone, you quickly decided if you were excited to see them or not. If you weren't excited to see them, you ran and avoided them. If you were excited to see them, you waved like a crazy person. 
We might not have liked growing up in that small town but now there are times that we miss it. Thankfully we can always call it home and go back when we miss it.
