The stereotypical American small town is pretty popular in movies and TV shows. They’re quaint, cute, and very picturesque. Those who were born and raised here are all familiar with the things that might make you roll your eyes at how “small town” it really is.
1. You see people you know everywhere you go
Whether you’re shopping in the grocery store, getting ice cream, or at the movies, you are bound to run into old teachers, neighbors, and everyone from high school.
2. Your town has a Main Street
There is definitely a Main Street consisting of a few small shops. These include boutiques, coffee shops, small restaurants, pizza places, tattoo parlors, and maybe a movie theater.
3. There’s at least one typical small-town diner
It serves usual diner food and is a hotspot for early-bird regulars. For some reason, it’s also your go-to place to meet friends, because everyone loves good breakfast food.
4. Your high school graduating class was only a couple hundred students at most
It shocks you when people say that they had two thousand kids in their graduating class, because there were less students in your entire school.
5. You grew up desperately wanting to leave your small town
You had a plan that as soon as you graduated high school you would go to college out of state, or at least as far away as possible.
6. And then missed it once you left
But it probably only took a couple of weeks to remember why you wanted to leave in the first place.
7. Everyone knows everything about everyone
It seems that your parents, grandparents, friends, and classmates all know where everyone is going to college, who’s playing video games full-time in their parents’ basement, and who moved across the country with their boyfriend.
8. There’s nothing to do
We could go to the diner again? See another movie? Eat more ice cream? There’s never much going on, so if you ever want to do anything interesting, you and your friends probably have to pile into someone’s car and drive there. Or you can get creative.
9. You probably had the same teacher as your siblings, and maybe even your parents.
There are those teachers who have been teaching in your town’s school district for longer than you’ve been alive. These teachers most likely cycled through all of your siblings and may have even started off their early teaching days with your parents as their students.
10. You have small festivals during the summer
Whether it’s one on the Fourth of July or an Arts Fest encouraging people to shop local, your town has these small festivals once school lets out so everyone who’s anyone can be there. Kids, parents, teenagers, adults, and dogs all stop by so there’s no way you’re escaping without exchanging small talk with a handful of people.
11. You hate to love, and love to hate it.
When you’re home you love to talk about how awful being stuck in such a small town is, but once you go away, you find yourself talking to your friends and reminiscing about the small town charm.