S/O What do you like about small town or city life?

[Jean in Newcastle]

I joke that we live in the small town in the big city.  Our city has only two streets but we're ten minutes each direction from major metropolitan areas.  I love it here.  I love that I go into the bank and I hear a chorus of "Hello, ________!"  And when I get up to the teller they already have my account pulled up without me even getting out my I.D. or telling them my account number.  And they know that I like to have my balance on my receipt.  I go to the pharmacy and greet A or D and they've already pulled my prescriptions off of the shelf.  I go to the grocery store and my favorite cashiers know my kids by name and chat about our lives.  Sometimes there is a bit of "creepiness" like when someone I don't know will ask about my dogs that apparently they've seen me take on walks, but we haven't had an issue with gossiping or anything boundary crossing.  I walk into the Y and they know me there as "________'s Mom"   Of course my kids can't get away with anything or I'll hear about it!  I don't know most people in my city but I do know many of the community helpers and workers and they know me partly because I've tried to get to know them.  Now this means that I need to be on good behavior at the grocery store because they know me - at least on a superficial level - but I'm not just an anonymous face.  

 

I know that many complain about small communities but it makes me feel like I belong somewhere.  Anyone else like small town or small city life?  

[Liz CA]

Pretty much the same things you mentioned. Also, I find people know each other and care about each other. With the lack of anonymity comes over-familiarity but I suppose I take that any day over the soulless life in a city.

It is funny though when the postmaster leans over the counter and asks you what is in an odd-shaped package. :)

[Ellie]

My sil grew up in a small town in WA that was named after her family. My brother is in the Army, and so they have been stationed in El Paso--much larger than I had imagined--and in Germany, and she has traveled quite a bit in Europe. When my brother was stationed in OK, she specifically chose a very small town to live in so her dc would have the same small-town experience that she did, even if it was only for a few years.

[Pink Elephant]

Small town living (to me) equates wealth.

 

For example, we are no farther than a short 10 minute jaunt to everything, there's no traffic to speak of, no waiting, little hustle and bustle, and crime is non-existent.

 

We also enjoy the luxury of pure (untainted) mountain spring water, and an abundance of natural wildlife resides all around us.

 

World-class resorts, recreation, and natural wilderness are all within our reach and just steps away from our backdoor.

 

I wouldn't have it any other way.

[countrygal]

I live the rural, country life. It's kind of neat that a lot of people know each other (and are related through marriage to his neighbors second cousin...) I do get a little creeped out that people know me and I don't know them. But it hasn't been in a bad way ever. I worked at a small town hospital and my husband's last name (now mine) is unusual but distinctive so people remember it. Many, many people I took care of recognized it and asked if I was related to 'so and so' and then would go on about how they know them. I always thought that was neat. They seemed to like 'knowing' who was taking care of them as well.

[Arctic Bunny]

There's a chocolate lab in town that keeps getting out and roaming.

One evening I looked out and saw someone I'd never met walking out dog up our driveway. I ran out and sure enough this dog was loose, and was it our dog. Well, I actually had to go inside and check, but no, it wasn't ours. The man posted the lost dog on our town's FB buy and sell page, and I got texts and FB messages in case it was ours.

 

One morning I saw it out our back window before taking the kids to school on my way to work, so I posted it on the FB page. By the time I had driven the three blocks, I still received one text and a concerned teacher who thought it might be our dog.

How about the summer before last when this young man drove his yellow car home from school every day with no regard for kids riding bikes or playing outside? It was ridiculous. I asked *everyone* whose car that was, and explained why I was asking. It hasn't been a problem since.

 

I *do* like small towns, and so do the kids! We drove through the next largest place (about 11,000 people, an hour away) at 5:00. Out of the blue, DS7 says, "Mom, I never want to live somewhere this big." Me:"Why?" DS: "There's too much traffic!" We had been waiting at a stop sign for three or four cars to pass before we could go.

[Jean in Newcastle]

We have Springers and when one of our neighbors moved in, they had one too, that they didn't leash.  I started to get all these complaints about my dogs!  But I showed them the roaming dog and then showed them my dogs  who were looking through the window.   ;) Then I went over to talk to the new neighbor. 

[lollie010]

I like that the grocery clerk asked me today for a recommendation on someone to fix her furnace. She told me she asked as "You know everyone". I like that I got hugs from three people today in the grocery store. I like walking into the library and having the clerk sing out, "That book is in for you!" I like that a friend in a parking lot congratulated me today on dd's wedding since "She's been through so much with Ed's death". I chuckled when we got a call from the state patrol, reminding us that youngest dd couldn't drive with her next older sister yet--that that sister's birthday wasn't for two more weeks (making her 21). The trooper was mortified when we explained that it wasn't middle dd, but her oldest sister. Yes, they look a lot alike. "Oh, I didn't know she was back from Indiana!" I like that one of my girls wanted to drive to a friend's house but didn't have her license yet--so she drove to the edge of the ranch and then walked (cutting a mile off the walk), and that the sheriff called because he was concerned that there was a truck parked in the far pasture.

 

I like that my kids can Nordic ski out their back yard, downhill ski a mile and a half away, and that they can kayak a mile away, along with fabulous fishing. I like that they can hike up to the springs and camp out.

 

And I like that they are so rooted in the ranch that they all want to sell the development rights so the ranch will stay whole.

Can I come live with you? It sounds lovely!

[creekland]

I love that you are somebody in small town/rural living.  People genuinely care.  It's a big family (complete with quirks at times), but it's exactly where I feel at home.  We do tend to know a ton about everyone and share any updates.  This means the pace is far slower (it's never nice to brush people off, so you always have to say something when you meet people shopping or at the post office or wherever).

 

When you have unusual needs, everyone is there and no one expects cash for their time/effort.  It's more of a barter system - you are there for them when they have needs.

 

Our post office clerks know what's in every package we send.  ;)

 

In country/rural living many "laws" aren't really laws.  Common sense can still prevail.

 

The trade off, of course, is the lack of privacy, but if one can get over that, I see no other cons.  OK, maybe the lack of multiple restaurant/store/entertainment choices is a con, but we have tasty places to eat, places I can get what I want for what little shopping I do, and the great outdoors with its wonderful entertainment options.

 

In a city one is often nameless except in their circle - and that circle might not even include close neighbors.  (BTDT)  It's a far faster pace where people can easily get annoyed if you stop to talk with the grocery clerk or similar.

 

ANY time we go to a city we can't wait to get back "home."  When we travel we purposely go to small town diners, etc, and have felt just as "at home" there too as we fit right in conversing with the locals (who are curious about these folks they don't know).  We've had chefs bring us samples of their favorite dishes (unasked) and have learned a bit about our waiters/waitresses.  For some, we've been the first people from PA that they've met.  Too few people get off the beaten path.  But in a way, I'm glad about that as it keeps it the path less traveled.

[MEmama]

I like having easy access to wild areas. The ocean is a 10 minute bike ride away from our house, and the countryside is unparalleled in beauty. We have unlimited trails for hiking, snowshoeing, skiing and biking practically out our front door, yet we can also walk to the library and downtown in minutes. It's safe, everything in our daily lives is easily accessible, and I rarely have to leave unless I want to.

 

I do like certain aspects of the social community, although I'm aware that I like it best because we are sort of on the outside fringes of it. Not having kids in the schools keeps us free from the ugly side of gossip and all the drama that goes along with everyone knowing everyone else's business. I'm aware that I am a private person and that it would be difficult for me to be in the thick of all that. Homeschooling provides a natural boundary for which I am grateful.

 

Before we moved here we lived in a very isolated small town, and for us it was a miserable existence. I love our current home, and I'm appreciative that the livability is partially thanks to the influences of larger communities nearby. It's small but not remote, and very active and liberal. It's exactly the right place for us in this season of our lives.

[KrissiK]

Well, I'm not sure what you would classify as a "small town", but our town is about 22,000 people and I would consider it relatively small. I like that it's easy to get around in, I like that it has traditions (Electrical Farm Equipment Parade at Christmas), I love the recreational sports program for the kids, and that my boys have, through the years, been on the same teams with a lot of the same kids.

[AnnE-girl]

Our town has about forty thousand, and while it's larger than the town I grew up in, it has a little more of a small town feel.  I grew up in a suburb that felt more like one part of continuous urban sprawl.  Where we live now has more of a defined quaint downtown, and we're less than twenty minutes from farms that haven't been turned into subdivisions yet.  I see people I know from church when I'm out shopping and my DH runs into people he knows through work when we're out and about all the time.  The librarians know my children by name, although that's partly that we're just at the library almost every week and they've been in story times and other activities since we moved here five years ago.  We're an hour train ride from a major city with fantastic museums, so I feel like we have the best of both worlds.

 

DH grew up in a town of less than two thousand where everyone really did know everyone else.  He enjoyed some aspects of it, but it also meant that when he broke up with his high school girlfriend to date me in college, it was really awkward to "go home," although he never lived there again after leaving for college.  I like the balance of knowing a lot of people, but having the space to live our own lives as well. 

[Rachel]

We moved 2 years ago to a small town (8k) from a small city of about 300k, we are still 10 minutes away from "the city".

 

I like that my kids can play in the yard or ride their bikes around the block. The librarians (all of them) know us by name and let us check out more books than our limit. No waiting at the dmv and if you forget the right paper, they give you grace. Health dept. isn't a scary place if you need a quick flu shot. The doctors actually spend time with you during appointments and the pharmacy can remember said doctor always takes Thursdays off so makes phone calls right away instead of waiting.

 

Neighbors take care of each other's pets and trash when out of town. If you leave and forget to close the garage door, someone will close it or let you know.

 

Politicians actually knock on your door and talk to you when running for election (ok this is a blessing and a curse :)).

 

The farmer who owns the land behind us will stop his mowing so my kids can see the tractor. Restaurants are quaint and you are a regular even if you aren't really a regular.

 

People have a vested interest in their community.

[elegantlion]

I live in a small town of about 11k people. We are 30 to 40 miles from anything besides Walmart. I'm a child of suburbia, so I miss a lot of that. I don't feel like I belong here as most activities are through the church or school and we don't do either, so we really have no friends in town. 

 

But, you wanted good stuff...This is from a someone who grew up in the suburbs of a large town. 

 

Traffic - I live on a corner. If there are 3 cars at the stop sign outside my window, we call it a traffic jam. 

Neighbors - my neighbors have shoveled my walk, mowed my yard, all without being asked and for no money. 

post office - hardly ever a line, if I have an issue (like a misdelivery) I can call the post office and it will get taken of. I've had them hand deliver packages within 10 minutes of me calling before. 

Emergency Services - police, fire, and ambulance are literally just around the corner. They can be at my house in less than a minute. 

Live and let live - no HOA, I can hang clothes to dry on my deck. 

 

I won't live here forever, but it's a great place to feel restful. 

[Jean in Newcastle]

Well, my big pet peeve from living here is that we don't have a post office and I have to drive to one of the cities that border us to go to one.

 

And my neighbor's husband and I had a funny stand-off once in the personal care aisle of the grocery store.  Both of us were embarrassed to be seen there so after chatting a bit we went to other aisles but then both went back to get our items in the embarrassing aisle at the same time!  I grabbed what I needed off the shelf and fled!  

 

And I did have a weird encounter with a woman who doesn't quite understand small community life.  She was quite miffed that I had gone into a longer line at the grocery store when I only had a few items and could have gone through the express line.  Though I don't know why she would even care!  But anyway. . . I wasn't looking for the shortest line.  I wanted to go through J's lane and most of the other people in that line were there to talk to him as well. 

[MrsRobinson]

We live in a town of 15,000 but its very isolated. 30-45 min drive to next closest town.

 

Pros: librarians, dry cleaners, bank tellers, handful of Walmart and Walgreen's cashiers all know us by name. I don't have to write down my comp prices anymore, they just key them in for me. A neighbor removes the snow off our driveway in minutes with his bobcat and refuses to take anything for it. So dh gives him a small discount on work he sends our way (construction field). If we're in a hurry and leave the door unlocked, I don't worry. We are surrounded by several beautiful state parks and spend much more time outdoors and in nature than I did as a kid in a big city. We don't spend as much money on things we don't really need because there's no big shopping centers here.

 

Con's: we have to drive a distance to go to anything cultural. Museums, imax, theatre. I wish we could just hop in the car and go but its a big ordeal to plan ahead of time and pack snacks and things for the kids to do in the car. It would be nice to have more than one restaurant to go to for more upscale dining. We go to the same place every year for our anniversary. When you get pulled over a block from home at 8:30 in the morning, your sil, bil, best friend, and hairdresser all drive by and see your shame on their way to work and honk repeatedly!

[swellmomma]

I have lived in both and they each have their pros and cons.

City:

Pros: I loved the closeness to amenities, the diversity, the plethora of home school groups to choose from, classes held during the day for homeschoolers, sports my kids liked (cheer team and fencing for example).

Cons: the pace of life was too much, cost of living higher, so many people, in the city I lived in the garbage, it was a dirty city in many areas.

Small town: 

 

Pros: everyone knows you, I can call the library and ask if my kids are behaving and talk to them on the phone, I can tell the grocery store not to sell xyz to my kids and they don't, I can walk into nearly every store and be greeted by name and end up in a conversation in most aisles. NO traffic, we laugh that rush hour is when 2 cars drive by.  Slower pace over all.  I found great employment that I could not get in the city at the time I was searching (too many applicants in the city for same position, and at the time I had a smudge that limited my options, but not here so I got hired and have found advancement). COL is lower over all.

Cons: distance to amenities including the kids dr's and specialists so lots of driving, small town can be isolating, in my town even after 4 years of living here we are shunned as being different, all those pros I mentioned were about the next town over that I work in and that has accepted my family with open arms. SO it really depends on the town.  Limited options for sports, extracurrics and groups. 

In the end though we miss the convenience of bring close to so much in the city we all prefer the small town.  Now we are aiming for the next goal of getting out of the town on into the country on a little acreage.

[Arctic Bunny]

Hmm.... Maybe we should define small town, lol! Our current home is 1300, and it's the biggest place my dc have lived!

 

The town of 4,000 (21 miles away) is the first stop if you can't find something. Then it's 2 1/2 hours to a Walmart and 4 to a Costco. However, still the most centrally located place the kiddos have lived ;)

[J-rap]

I have loved raising our family in a small town (less than 5,000).  Also, we are about 3 hours away from a big metropolitan area, so quite secluded.  I grew up in a larger city in California, so this is an experience I never thought I'd have.  I love it that everywhere my kids go, they are known.  Any store they walk into, the clerk knows them, or at least knows that they're one of the XXX family.  The policemen and the town librarian know them by name.  I think it has helped them in so many ways:  they've gained confidence, they've always felt "watched" so had to behave themselves -- haha, and so much more.  Everyone's lives seem to be interconnected here, and people genuinely care and help each other out.  Also, I love that they learned to walk and bike everywhere, and to this day, they would much prefer to walk even if the errand they need to run is a mile away.

 

I have to relay one experience sort of recently.  When our daughter graduated last year (she was able to take part in the local public high school commencement), I left early with my daughter and other kids (in the car), but my husband wanted to walk.  He is recovering from a stroke and actually was completely paralyzed at first.  He is walking slowly and carefully now, but he was determined to do it and it was about 8 blocks that he had to walk.

 

So, we were waiting at the school gym and of course I was a little nervous about his walking, knowing he could easily stumble and couldn't catch himself well, because his arm is paralyzed too.  There were probably 200 people lined up at the gym doors, filing in one at a time to sit down inside.  About every 10th person or so would tell me, "Saw your husband 6 blocks away, and he's doing fine!" or "Your husband is only 4 blocks away now, seems to be doing well!" etc.  I honest-to-goodness felt like I was in an old Walt Disney film. 

 

We don't lock our doors, leave our cars running when we go into the grocery store mid-winter, and there is an innocence and simplicity that reminds me of an older generation.

 

I do love a larger metropolitan area too, and we have travelled often with our kids to expose them to that environment as well.  I think any size city has its pros and cons.  But, I do think the small-town experience has has had so many advantages for my kids.

[Tsuga]

I like not having to drive so far in the city to get basic amenities. I like choice. I like diversity of views. We live near conservative Christians, conservative Muslims, conservative libertarians, liberals, our neighbor kids speak about seven different languages and we're in the suburbs--when we lived in the city it was even more diverse.

 

Small town life is great. I like that there's always someone to help you out. And the air is way fresher!
 

[Mergath]

I think we have the best of both worlds where we live.  Our town has about 11,000 people.  We're less than an hour away from a small city where we can shop and all that kind of stuff, and two hours away from Minneapolis, where we can do pretty much anything.  But here in our small town, we don't have to deal with the traffic, crime, high COL, and all that stuff.  We're surrounded by lakes and forests, people are friendly, and heavy traffic is non-existent. 

 

The only things I'd change would be to add a UU church and a local secular co-op.

[Word Nerd]

After growing up in rural Kansas, I always think it's interesting to see how others define "small town." 

[TracyP]

I love hearing how some people define small towns. I live rurally between two small towns. Each has a population of 700. It is almost an hour drive to a big town of 20,000, lol.

 

In addition to many of the things that have been listed... I like that I know most of the police officers - I would have to really mess up to get a ticket from a local cop. I like that I can call my doctor a friend of the family. I like that the bank gives us 5 suckers even if only 2 kids are there. Same thing at the store*, pharmacy, and library. Everybody knows us and treats us like friends. I didn't think places like this existed IRL until I moved here. It is great.

 

*Yes, everybody here knows where I mean when I say "the store". :D

[Jean in Newcastle]

After growing up in rural Kansas, I always think it's interesting to see how others define "small town." Forty-thousand? :lol:

I might have worded my title incorrectly.  What I was going for were the joys of living in an area that embraces community.  My small city is a bit over 10,000 but there is definitely a small town feeling of community where at least a lot of people know your name.  

[Word Nerd]

I might have worded my title incorrectly.  What I was going for were the joys of living in an area that embraces community.  My small city is a bit over 10,000 but there is definitely a small town feeling of community where at least a lot of people know your name.  

 

It's definitely a matter of perspective. Gilmore Girls goes overboard with all the references to what a "tiny" town Stars Hollow is—and that fictional town had a population of around 10,000.

[swellmomma]

I was chuckling as I read the size of some of these "small" towns.  To me they are small cities.  I live in a small town (well technically it is called a village) of 881 people on the last census.  The town I work in has roughly 4000 people.

[Monica_in_Switzerland]

We are in a similar situation where we live about 15 minutes on the metro from a large city, but our own community is small and we know the "regulars"- local government officials, pharmacy, corner store, grocery store, dry cleaner's, etc.  I really love the community aspect. 

 

Things I have learned to like:

 

- apartment living.  I'd still rather be in my own home with my own yard, but I love that we know and get along well with our immediate neighbors (on our floor), and we also know and are friendly with other people in the building including many families with kids.  I love that I can send my kids outside and there will be ten other kids for them to play with (no concerns over "socialization").  And I suppose that I love there is no yard work or maintenance work to deal with. 

 

- Public Transport.  This is so awesome.  I always get nervous when getting on/off and keeping all of my kids in line of sight so no one gets left behind, but they are all basically pros now.  We can get anywhere we want to go, and so we don't own a car.  I LOVE not having a car to deal with. 

 

- Smaller living quarters.  Being in a small apartment has forced us to spend time together, ruthlessly keep the place decluttered, etc.  I like that. 

 

- Natural areas.  Because of apartment living, the community maintains lots of natural space or semi-natural space.  We are within easy distance of a nice forested river area, and a medium-ish walk to the lake, including a bird reserve area.  We live across the street from a hage soccer complex of about 24 fields, which means our view is of a mountain line rather than another building and the kids have a place to run around. 

 

Things I wish we could have:

 

- a real, large yard, complete with vegetable garden and dog.  Ok, the dog is just a fantasy because DH is allergic, but still...  I would like the kids to be able to dig holes or build forts just for the heck of it, but we can't mess up the public natural spaces like that. 

 

- Privacy.  A little space would be nice.  It's not really about needing to be anonymous at the grocery store, it's more that when I'm in my own home, I don't want to worry about if the baby is tapping his blocks against the floor too loudly for the neighbors. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[EmilyGF]

I live in a "village" in a big city. I love that within two weeks of living there I'd see people I knew every time I went somewhere. The lady at the paint store asked my why I hadn't been in for 6 months last time she saw me in the Subway parking lot. The workers at the coffee shop near my home argued about whether I had a dog or not before asking me to settle the question. The librarians know me. When I went to the hospital, four people said they could watch our children with one hour's notice. I "traded" a game for Hanukah wrapping paper with a lady I didn't know, and two weeks later our children met at a mutual friend's birthday party and exchanged phone numbers. That one caused a chuckle.

 

But, I really do live in a big city. It just happens to have a small town in it. I never would have guessed. :-)

[swellmomma]

 

 

We don't lock our doors, leave our cars running when we go into the grocery store mid-winter, and there is an innocence and simplicity that reminds me of an older generation.

 

 

This is our experience too.  I rarely lock my door, and right now with an exterior door that doesn't close and and interior door with broken window there is no point, they would just unlock it anyway.  I always leave my car running when I am running in somewhere for a minute.  HEck the other day I left it running with my purse in it to run into the post office without a single thought.  Yes there are idiots around just like every where else that steal, or vandalize etc but they are pretty rare compared to the city.

 

I like too that we know the police and they know us.  My son has gotten into some series scrapes that in the city would have meant jail time and a record.  Out here, most people drop the charges in exchange for an apology and some sort of restitution, the one time they didn't the officer who dealt with him spoke up on his behalf in court and so he got probation with his record being expunged upon completion of his terms.  Her had 3 months, he did them in 2 weeks.  They have seen him grow up these last few years and can see he come from a home with supervision and rules, they understand he has mental health issues and see on the whole he is a good kid but about once a year he gets into some major trouble and they are willing to work with him rather than just arresting him.  It is working, he is turning out fine all things considered.  In the city he would have lost hope a long time ago I think because he would have been in and out of juvie.

 

DOwn side to my town is everything is done through the public school and it is a really shitty school.  but all community teams, town wide announcements go through the school, if you do not attend the school you are sol.  THe main reason we are snubbed here is because my kids do not attend that school, they see it as us thinking we are better than them, their parents, grandparents, great grandparents etc who all attended this school.  Rather than accepting that I was homeschooling before moving here and was not about to stop just because we moved.  The first few years were tough, now we are mostly just left alone.  That change happened when I was working at the diner (it lasted less than a year here because the owner was a drunk), but a lot of people in town got to see me in a different light either by working with me or as my customers,  the image they had of me changed so the bullying towards my kids ended, people are starting to wave or say hello when they see me on the street etc.  It is a work in progress.  maybe by the time youngest graduates we will feel part of the town.  They are not bad people living here, just not used to outsiders coming in from the city.  I have heard the same story from many others who moved from the city into this town and the neighboring one (though I have never had anything less than a warm welcome in the other town, though maybe that is because I watch so many of the towns children between the 2 daycares I work at, and help out at so many of my kids extracurrics.)

[Pawz4me]

Well, my big pet peeve from living here is that we don't have a post office and I have to drive to one of the cities that border us to go to one.

 

And my neighbor's husband and I had a funny stand-off once in the personal care aisle of the grocery store.  Both of us were embarrassed to be seen there so after chatting a bit we went to other aisles but then both went back to get our items in the embarrassing aisle at the same time!  I grabbed what I needed off the shelf and fled!  

 

And I did have a weird encounter with a woman who doesn't quite understand small community life.  She was quite miffed that I had gone into a longer line at the grocery store when I only had a few items and could have gone through the express line.  Though I don't know why she would even care!  But anyway. . . I wasn't looking for the shortest line.  I wanted to go through J's lane and most of the other people in that line were there to talk to him as well. 

 

LOL!  We live in a city of 100,000 and I do the same thing at WalMart and my favorite grocery store.  I have my favorite cashiers, and they know me.  At a couple of local (non chain) restaurants we also have "our" waitress.

[Mergath]

I was chuckling as I read the size of some of these "small" towns.  To me they are small cities.  I live in a small town (well technically it is called a village) of 881 people on the last census.  The town I work in has roughly 4000 people.

 

I think it depends on the scale of your region.  For someone who lives in a sparsely populated state like Wyoming or Montana, a town of 20,000 people might be decent-sized.  I live two hours away from Minneapolis/St. Paul, which has over three million people, so relative to that 11,000 is a small town.  

[AnnE-girl]

It is all relative  :lol:  Since I grew up in more of an inner-ring suburb of a huge city, moving farther out {the commuter train line ends about one town to the west of us and that was a new extension in the past few years} does feel smaller, even though the actual population is larger.  I think part of feeling more a part of the community is that DH works ten minutes from home, unlike my dad who took the commuter train downtown with thousands of other people.  We had our neighborhood and church/school friends, but we didn't run into my dad's co-workers regularly.  Here, there's a lot more overlapping of people DH knows through work, people from church, families I know from Le Leche League, and regulars from the stores and restaurants we frequent.  I also think people are just a bit nicer out this way.  There's definitely traffic, but it's not quite as bad as the closer suburbs.  

[OnTheBrink]

Nothing. I lived in a small town for 2 years and hated every minute of it. 

 

The city I live in now is 110,000 and it's as small as I can deal with.