For all of my life, I have grown up in a small town with about 14,000 people in it. I know that some people grew up or live in smaller towns, but to me that's pretty small. I think I've always enjoyed living in it, even though its not the biggest place and it doesn't always have the stores I need to get specific things. In my town, we have knitting shop and a bike shop and I am still amazed that they are in business. It is one of those towns that you'll drive right through if you're not careful. I also go to school in a small town that has a population of 18,000 people, so there's not much of a difference.

The thing I like about living and going to school in a small town is the amount of space we have. When you drive anywhere, it is likely to see open fields and forests all around you and to constantly see wildlife on the side of the road. To get to the grocery from where I live, I have to drive at least 15 minutes away... and I know that doesn't seem that far away, but it feels like it. To get to my old high school, I have to drive at least 20 minutes away and prepare to be in lots of traffic on the way there.

As I ride around Boone (where I go to school) and see all the things that make it a small town, I am reminded of how much I love being in a small town. I love Boone because I can refer to a single location and someone will know exactly where I'm talking about. I love the small towns that surround us which make me fall in love with Boone all over again every day. I love talking to someone who lives here and hearing how much it's changed and how different the town looks as more and more students come to school here.

I know that when I go home, I can see just how much has changed while I was gone for a short three months. In my town, we have train tracks that go through the middle of downtown and a bridge that crosses across them. I think that by growing up in a small town, I have a different outlook on life than those who were not raised in a small town. I was raised to be appreciative of the things I have and not the ones that I don't have. I was raised to look at the small things in life as if they were the biggest things ever.

I don't think I would ever change where I came from or where I go to school. I honestly don't think I could ever live in a city because they're just too big. I live right near Charlotte, North Carolina, and every time I drive into there, I get lost and have to use my GPS. I know that in most towns, people have to use highways, but I'm glad the areas I'm in allow me to use back-roads to get everywhere. The part I love the most about my small towns is that everyone knows everyone and everywhere. I think that a small town really shows how a community is supposed to be.