Over the nineteen years of my existence, I have yet to meet someone from a smaller town than me. I know they are out there, somewhere, though it is hard to beat four square miles and a population of 4,356 as of 2010. Regardless, any small town, bigger or smaller than Avon, MA, can relate in a few ways. Here are ten signs that you are from a small town:
1. There are only a handful of schools, if that many.
2. You can drive through your town in 5-10 minutes.
If I was to get in my car and drive from one end of my town to the next one, it would probably take five minutes. That is, if I don’t get stopped with a red light at one of the three possible intersections. There are some towns that don’t even have a lighted intersection and it could take even less time. The one upside is that driving or walking to your friend’s house is never a long journey.
3. There is pizza, but it is a town shop.
Most of the small towns I drive through tend to have at least one family owned pizza and sub shop. It is a staple of a small town, at least in Massachusetts. The best part about these places is that they usually have great food. My favorite pizza is a tie between one that comes from one of the shops in our town and the town next door.
4. You have one strange local TV channel.
Anyone scrolling through the first few digits of the channels has come across this: the local TV station. If your town is small, you’ll probably see a few slides listing town events, church locations and times, and information about school sports games. Then, if you’re really lucky, you will flip in on one of the mini shows. One of the ones in my town was of a guy in a lawn chair talking about a variety of subjects. It was like an informal talk show. Other times, you’ll see basketball games, or maybe even a local band preforming. Whatever it is, it’s usually a bit bizarre, and has been shot out of a home camera.
5. Everyone on your block knows everyone.
You live around people on your small block for such a long time, that everyone knows each other’s business. The kids next door or down the street were probably your best friends growing up, and their family was your family. Other houses around knew who you and your friends were, for reasons good or bad, and that never changed. This can be a good thing if your dog is an escape artist and your neighbor catches him, or can be a bad thing if you do something totally embarrassing that will become the block’s gossip. Mostly, it is a perk, and it makes the neighborhood feel a lot safer and kinder.
6. You played sports, whether it was little league or soccer.
Most small towns have teams for kids. They include baseball, soccer, football, hockey, and basketball teams. If your town is small enough, you probably even share with the bigger city or town next door. Almost every small town kid will be forced into a uniform to play a sport that their parents are interested in watching. You’ll collect a few trophies along the way, and make friends that may last through the next ten years. Some kids will hate it and want to drop out of the sport, but others will play it through their high school and college years. In the end, though, whether you’re good or bad, and whether you continue or not, it is a memorable experience to reminisce over in high school; especially since the same kids you play with are in your grade for all twelve years.
7. You have an *insert town name here* bank.
In my town, we have Avon Cooperative bank. In the small town where I go to college, Westfield, they have a Westfield Bank. Most every small town has their own bank. If you grew up there, your first account was probably there. Don’t get me wrong, it is usually a great bank; the only trouble is that you probably got intimidated when switching to your first larger bank. When I joined Bank of America, it was like a whole new world.
8. There is an ice cream place either near, or in, your town.
Dairy Queen is the Ice Cream place that is only 20 feet away from our border. Other towns surrounding us have either a Dairy Queen, or they have their own family owned place. Regardless of whether it was a chain or not, all of the employees there likely belonged to your town. Whenever you went to get your ice cream, you probably saw at least three people from your high school; or maybe, you were the one that was working there.
9. You have a town clerk.
Cities have mayors, but what do small towns have? A town clerk. This is something that I wasn’t even aware of until I reached high school age. The reason for this is that usually your family is either heavily involved in town politics, school fundraising, and events, or they are more passive. My family voted in only some of our small elections, but unless you attend the town meeting, you’re probably clueless as to what is going on. If you’re out of the loop, you’re left not knowing if your town even has an elected official that runs anything, you’re just sure that there must be.
10. Going to college is an adjustment.
Even if you claimed to hate your small town when you were living there, it will always hold a special place in your heart. There might’ve been missed opportunities, or a feeling of being trapped, but you could always make the best of it — you were probably able to make some lifelong friends. And who knows, if you liked it, you might end up moving back there someday.
