Growing up in a small town has its benefits as well as its problems. But after having left my small town in Vermont and moving to a big city, I learned that the benefits far outweigh the problems. If you are into expensive cars and wearing Louboutins, then you'll probably disagree with this entire article but if you're into chasing horses through pastures and playing in the mud and still being able to dress up to walk downtown with your friends, then you'll be able to relate where I'm coming from.

First of all, I want to squash the whole "small town, small dreams" thing because a lot of people would argue that the worst thing about small towns is that you have no opportunity to dream big and chase those dreams. However, if anything I would rebut that statement and say that it's easier to stick out when you're in a small town because everything is on a smaller scale. If you have a dream, you should chase it no matter where you are from.

Secondly, growing up in a small rural town gives you the chance to connect to the world around you more than you would have imagined. Being able to play in the river or run across the street to your best friend's house or play in the mud in your front yard-- all of these small moments are things that kids who grew up in a city never got to experience. I wouldn't trade my 20 mile bike rides into civilization for living in a sky scraper in times square for anything. Being able to hike a mountain on your day off of work, or go to a farm as a field trip in elementary school, or being able to know every single person in your graduating class, those are tiny treasures that I didn't cherish until I realized that not everybody experiences those moments.

When I started dating my first long term boyfriend, the small town feeling really hit me. When I told people who I was dating, it seemed that everybody I talked to knew him or his family in some way and at first, it was crazy but if you've been living in a small enough town where everybody can identify your boyfriend or girlfriend, consider yourself lucky. It means that there is a whole community to support your relationship and if you break up, you will each have the same community to be there for you as a comfort afterwards.

Growing up in a small town has many benefits, from knowing the people you're growing up with, to having special moments in your childhood that you would have never been able to experience if you had grown up in any other place. I know that it will be frustrating at times to feel like you're trapped in your small town, but remember it's always easier to leave and find your independence than it is to find another small town that welcomes you into the fold the same way your small hometown always will.