I was born and raised in Parkersburg, West Virginia on Turkey Foot Road, which should give you a hint about what the landscape looked like. There's a certain vibe small towns give off. Here's a few #relatable things everyone from a small town will understand.

1. Always seeing someone you know.

It doesn't matter where you go, if you're out in public, you'll probably see someone you know. I remember going to the grocery store with my mom as a kid and it seemed like she knew half of the shoppers there. Of course, if you see someone you know, you have to stop and talk to them. This made my grocery store experience drag on for what felt like eternity. The mall is the hot spot of the town. You can count on seeing half the town there, it's equivalent to the watering hole in prehistoric times.

2. Back roads.

Lines on the road are optional and one lane roads for two-way traffic are the norm. Driving on the backroads with the windows down and music blasting is one of my favorite summer activities. In the winter time, the back roads still come in clutch. If it snows and school is cancelled you can thank the back roads, they're the real MVP's. If the word "run" or "ridge" are in the name of your road, you probably live on a back road.

3. The fair.

Oh, the fair. Sketchy carnival rides, deep-fried everything, mud bogs and livestock are just a few of the things that the fair entails. The fair is a unique event that you have to experience yourself. People come out of the wood work for the fair and those same people probably live on back roads. In Parkersburg, we usually have a nice, B list country singer as the headline entertainment. The fair is a week-long, small town celebration.

4. High school sports are a big deal.

The tight-knit community in a small town creates a great atmosphere for high school sporting events. In the fall, Friday nights are football nights. I got pretty rowdy at a few high school football and basketball games. Small town rivalry games are always the best, too. The teams play for pride and bragging rights against their crosstown rivals.

5. Making your own fun.

Some say there's nothing to do in small towns, but I say there's plenty to do if you try hard enough. Living in a rural area, there's so much to explore. Just going out in the woods for a run or hike is one of my favorite things to do. Loading into a car with your friends and just going out on the town is always a good time. Disclaimer: a car full of friends (especially teenage boys) driving around together may lead to mischievous activities. Fun is everywhere, you just have to find it.

6. Trucks.

Are you really from a small town if you've never ridden in the bed of a truck? Small towns are full of trucks, usually because of the blue collar work the citizens do. "Rollin' coal baby!" Burnouts are a routine practice when exiting a parking lot. The real question is: Ford, Dodge or Chevy?

7. Everybody knows everybody.

This one relates to #1. There aren't that many people in the community which makes it easy to get to know everyone. Some people love this aspect of living in a small town, some people hate it. Remember that embarrassing thing that you did that one time? Yeah, so does everyone else. It's okay though, there's a great family atmosphere that small towns create.

8. Hunting and fishing.

Or should I say huntin' and fishin'? These are some serious sports in Small Town, America. Deer season is a huge deal. You can find the dedicated hunters rolling out of bed at the crack of dawn in search of the next trophy buck. In the summer, heading to the nearest pond or river for a day of fishing is the activity of choice.

9. "Watch for deer."

This might be the most popular phrase in my whole town. You small town people know what I'm talking about. If you've had guests over you always tell them to watch for deer before they head home. We're out in the sticks, deer are everywhere and they will mess your car up if one happens to run out in front of you.

10. Muddin'.

Personally, I've never participated in the art of mudding, but it sounds like loads of fun. Mudding is taking your vehicle of choice out on trails and getting it as muddy as possible. Combining automobiles with pits of mud; what's not to love?