by Shelia West

Created on: August 18, 2008   Last Updated: August 26, 2008

Ask anyone living in a small town if they like living there, and chances are they will say they wouldn't want to live anywhere else. Small towns are like families; everyone knows everyone and just about everything about them, personal and otherwise. Sometimes that's good and sometimes it's not. But it really doesn't matter, because they know it anyway. A small town's residents will protect and defend each other against "outsiders" even while feuding with each other.

Life in a small, rural town is sometimes considered boring to some of the young residents as they are growing up. They vow to leave as soon as they are old enough. But it is surprising how many of them will return to their hometown after spending time in the big metropolitan areas and end up raising their own families in their hometown.

Speaking of life in the small town, it is usually more laid back and slower paced than life in the cities. The old motto: "Early to bed and early to rise..." is more likely to be true in small towns. Many of the people may be farmers or work in the small businesses in town. And since there are seldom any all night bars or nightclubs to keep people up late, people do tend to go to bed earlier in small towns than in cities. If you drive down the street of a small town after ten o'clock at night, you may not encounter another person. Or if you do, it may be the sheriff's deputy, and you can bet he will be watching you. And he might have more than one bullet in his gun, so don't plan on robbing the only bank in town.

But don't get the idea that there is no excitement in a small town. Most towns have their own form of yearly celebrations. Some may coincide with the Fourth of July holiday, however, some will choose another time for celebrating. It could be some type of planting or harvesting event, or a founder's day celebration. Whatever the occasion, the town's people will go all out. The whole town will shut down for the celebration. There will be parades, fairs, carnivals, and lots of good fun. And of course, when the yearly celebrations are not going on, you always have the neighbors to keep you entertained. It could be Old Farmer Thompson out on Anywhere Road getting drunk and driving his tractor through his barn wall providing a week's worth of entertainment and talk. Or it could be Miss Martha, the town librarian, running off with the Mayor. That would certainly provide entertainment for, well, probably forever.

Truthfully, why on earth would anyone want to live in a big city when you've got peace and quiet, no smog to choke you, neighbors that know you (sometimes maybe a little too well), and little or no crime? How on earth could anywhere possibly be better than that?

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