Growing up in a small town is something city kids will never understand. The more people I meet outside of the small town I grew up in, the more I realize that growing up there is truly a unique experience. Although I wished my days away in that town to move on to bigger and better things, my hometown will always hold a special place in my heart. If you grew up in a town where everyone knows your name, you'll know all of these signs a little too well.
1. Friday night football is way more than just a football game.
It's a town event. Places close down early for the game, majority of school on Friday is taken up with pep rallies and slacking off because no one is thinking about anything other than the big game.
2. When people ask where you're from, you explain how close it is to the nearest city.
"Where are you from?" "Oh, just a small town about two hours southeast of here."
3. You could name every person in your graduating class and probably tell people their life story too.
Chances are, you've known these people since diapers. Some you probably even knew since you were in the womb.
4. Hanging out in parking lots is a totally normal and acceptable thing to do.
5. Your teachers recognized your last name either because they taught your siblings or went to school with your parents.
"Yes, you're so and so's little sister! How is your brother doing, by the way?"
6. The nearest mall, Chick-fil-A or Starbucks was an hour away.
Most of your shopping probably consisted of online because there were no good places to shop in town. If there was a cute place to shop it town though, you would end up wearing the same thing as someone else to school.
7. There's probably something weird in your town that makes it unique.
This is a picture of the monkey cages at Wintersmith Park in my hometown. In the 90's, this cage was home to actual, real life monkeys. The cage still has the toys in there that the monkeys would play on.
8. You can't go anywhere without running into someone.
If you start to think about how you haven't seen your ex in awhile as you walk into the grocery store, you'll probably run straight into them.
9. It's not weird to know everyone by what car they drive.
10. Driver's ed probably consisted of two-lane back highways, not an interstate.
You probably didn't drive on the interstate until you had been driving for a year or so and it was a terrifying experience.
11. Getting a new kid at school was actually a big deal because it didn't happen often.
It was all anyone talked about for a week because you had to find out where they were from, why they moved and who they would hang out with at your school.
12. There's no such thing as a secret in a small town.
Were you out after curfew? Maybe went to a party you weren't supposed to? Yeah, your parents will probably know before you even wake up the next morning. Sometimes, they might even find out that night and show up to wherever you were and drag you out of there.
13. You give directions by landmarks, not street names.
You also measure the distance to somewhere by how long it takes, not how many miles it is.
14. Seeing something open after 9pm or on a Sunday is not normal.
There's no such thing as 24-hour in a sleepy town.
15. After every rainfall, you and your friends loaded up to go mudding.
16. Every time you go back, you can't help but feel 17 again.
You fall right back into your old ways with the friends you've had since grade school. You may move from this place and start somewhere new, but that small town will always be your home
