Growing up in a small town is probably the greatest developer on who you are as a person. Whether you loved it or hated it, you always talked about how you couldn't wait to leave it. You only have so many years to leave or your hometown is like a black hole and you'll never get out. Once you do leave though, you always miss it whether you admit it or not.
1. When people ask you where you're from, you just say the nearest "big" city near your hometown.
Chances are, people have never heard of your home town unless they live in the same area. "Oh, hey, where are you from?" "Montgomery..." "Uhh..." "So you know where the Little League World Series is played?"
2. You're used to making at least a 20 minute drive to find a nice restaurant or large grocery store.
Granted, your small town probably has a little rinky-dink grocery store and cute family own restaurants. When you want something your town grocery store doesn't have, you're going to have to be willing to make the drive to a larger grocery store to find it. Just like fancy five-star restaurants, if you want to eat at one of those, you're in for a hike.
3. Tractors and Amish naturally share all roads with you.
Living in a small town chances are there's going to be farms and Amish around you. You aren't surprised to see them on the roads you normally travel on, it's typical where you're from.
4. You have strange feelings towards city traffic.
You're amazed at how many people are on the roads in the cities and are never sure how they all get where they want to go on time. Your idea of traffic is being 15 cars back behind a tractor.
5. You still talk to people you went to kindergarten with.
Even if they aren't your best friends, chances are you still text them and catch up every few months or so.
6. Your neighbors are more than likely your best friends. If not you're at least acquainted, it’s unacceptable.
Whether they're 30 yards away or 300 yards away, you know your neighbors. Most cases those kids are the ones you grew up with and are still close with today.
7. You expect to run into at least three people you know when going anywhere in public.
That short trip you're taking to the local convenient store for milk or bread turns into an hour or two trip because you have to stop and catch up with the people you run into.
8. You’ve been late to something from waiting for a train to pass.
Or you know someone that lives on the wrong side of the tracks that is late to everything.
9. You know who is at the gas station just by seeing the vehicles in the parking lot.
When you live in a small town, chances are you can identify people by their vehicles. Especially if they are one of a kind in that town, a unique paint job or have a certain dent that makes them identifiable.
10. You can name your entire graduating class and probably even their GPAs.
Your graduating class is the kids you went to kindergarten with, give or take a handful. In a small town your graduating class probably isn't all that big to begin with.
11. Most kids in your high school were three or four sport athletes.
Whether they were coordinated or not, because there are so few kids in your school and the programs are so underfunded, most athletes played every sport they could. When it was fall, it was football season, once the last game was over, onto the next sport. Not one sport practiced all year or interfered with other sports practices.
12. Everyone knows everyone, and their business.
This is a good and bad thing. You know everyone, and probably have a rough idea of when their birthdays are, but when bad things happen in a small town, news spreads really quick. Expect the whole town to know within the hour.
13. And their families.
Your teachers at school probably taught your parents, older siblings, you and then your younger siblings too. Don't be offended when you accidentally get called a family members name.
14. Your house and vehicle doors are normally left unlocked.
There's no strangers in a small town, your neighbors are your friends so there's no reason to lock your doors. If your doors are locked, all your neighbors know where the spare key is anyways.
15. When giving directions, you use town landmarks.
Well you see, go across Rt-15 and then take a right after Mowrey's Farm. In a small town there's certain spots that everyone knows, and that's how you give directions.
16. Driving around blaring music was the one fun thing you and your friends always did.
Whether you were bored or wanted to get things off your mind, you hopped in your car and drove around till you ran out of gas blasting music. Sometimes you'd even park your car and lay on the roof because the skies were always so clear.
17. A bonfire is your idea of a good time, and that’s how you usually spent your weekends.
Hanging out, listening to music, around a warm fire. Cooking mountain pies and hot dogs. The only way to spend a nice clear night. Break out the trucks with the light bars to play volleyball, throw some horse shoes or even break out some fireworks. There were never any cops because you knew everyone in the area and chances are either them or their kids were at your bonfire.
18. Mudding was a normal event.
Mudding was a regularly occurring event, and if you weren't the one going, you were probably the one being called to pull your buddies out when they sink their vehicle.
