The epitome of living in a small town: Living in a town that everyone claims to hate, but never seems to leave. Living in the same small town my entire life I could not wait to leave and go off somewhere far, far away for college. Now that I'm at college about 300 miles away, however, I find that I really do miss my little hometown.
Whether it's on the East coast, the West coast or somewhere in between, if you're from a small town then you'll understand where I'm coming from when I say:
1. You can't go somewhere without seeing someone you know.
No matter what store you're in or what restaurant you're at, chances are you're going to see someone you know. It could be your ex-best-friend's mom, your second grade teacher, or even your middle school crush. The possibilities are endless, so just smile and wave.
2. You only have three restaurants to choose from.
Deciding where you and your friends want to go for dinner really isn't that hard because there's only about one or two options that you're actually going to consider. If you're looking for something cheap but delicious, the diner is there for you. And if you're still hungry afterwards, no fear, because it's just a few feet away from the ice cream shop. Who knew that diner food followed by ice cream would be such a wonderful combination?
3. It only takes about 10 minutes to get from one side of town to the other, if that.
This is really helpful when you told your friend that you were on your way even though you were still in bed. Also, waking up at 6:50 a.m. and having to be at school by 7:00 a.m. is totally possible when your commute is so short. Within those ten minutes you have no problem getting from home to school. If you're lucky, you may even have a minute to spare to grab coffee at Dunkin Donuts.
4. You're surrounded by people you've known your whole life.
The people you went to kindergarten with were also the people you went to high school with. You witnessed each picture day, you saw each other grow from Pokemon lovers to lovers of music, and you probably still have the handmade valentines you exchanged in third grade hidden somewhere in the depths of your desk drawer. When you go home on the holidays, there's no surprise at who you're going to see at the annual ugly-Christmas-sweater parties.
5. There's this sense of community and comfort that people from the city just wouldn't understand.
It's hard to describe what it feels like to live in a small town, but when you know the landscape as well as a QWERTY keyboard and you're always surrounded by a familiar face, you truly appreciate the place you are proud to call your hometown.
Being at a college far away from your hometown can be hard, but when you do have that opportunity to go back home, you enjoy every minute of it.
