Some people talk about small towns, but they don’t always mean truly “small.” In Montana, however, small is small; and the smallest you can get is a Class C town. Read on for a list of things you’ll definitely relate to if you grew up in Class C Montana.
1. When you say your class was small, you mean SMALL.
Odyssey articles that state “when I say small, I mean graduating classes of 150 students or less” crack you up because your class was SMALL. My graduating class was 22 and that’s big for a class C school.
2. College is a culture shock.
The first time you go to a lecture class it’s terrifying, because the amount of people in the lecture hall equals the entirety of the K-12 student body of your hometown.
3. You were involved in all extracurricular activities.
When there’s less than 100 people in your entire high school, chances are you were (either voluntarily or not) a member of all the clubs. Athletics, music, NHS, BPA, FFA, FCCLA … Your college resume was a list several pages long of all the things you were involved in, all the positions you held, and all the awards you’ve won.
4. Basketball is akin to religion.
When the nearest movie theater is at least half an hour away, there isn't much else to do during the winter besides basketball. If you didn’t play basketball from ages 8-18, you certainly attended any and all basketball games.
5. It’s not strange to travel for hundreds of miles to attend a sporting event.
#Throwback to that time the state championship football game was held 500+ miles away and the entire community drove 500+ miles to watch the game.
6. You definitely attended one, if not all, of your proms.
It was the social event of the entire year, and if it wasn’t open to everyone Freshmen and up, there wouldn’t be enough people to even bother having a prom, even when it was combined with another school.
7. Your siblings had all the same teachers and your parents probably had some of those teachers too.
You also had the same teachers from freshmen year on, because there was only one teacher per subject. And for your electives, you probably had the same teachers from first grade on.
8. If you don’t know somebody from another Class C town personally, chances are you have at least one mutual friend.
"Oh you're from Twin? Do you know so and so?" I definitely do; we went to school together starting in the first grade.
9. You’re pretty used to describing where you’re from by its proximity to somewhere larger.
“Oh where are you from?”
“Twin Bridges.”
*cue blank stare
“Oh where's that?”
“In between Butte and Dillon.”
“Oh yeah! I’ve been to Butte before.”
I can’t say how many times I’ve had this conversation; at this point I may as well just claim I’m from Butte when someone asks.
10. People can identify you by your truck.
Can’t say that I particularly miss being identified by my old Dodge.
11. It doesn’t matter where you are in the state, you’re never far from a Class C town.
Small towns are the backbone of Montana, and with 120+ Class C schools in the state, you’re never far from somewhere that’s just like home.
12. No matter how far you go, your town will always be there to welcome you home.
It doesn't matter how far you go, or how long you’re away, whenever you come home it feels just like you never left.
