Summer is here, and for those who live on the beach or the shoreline, that can only mean one thing: a complete paradigm shift in day-to-day life. Here are twelve realities that all full-time residents of summer towns know to be true, but aren't necessarily apparent to visitors or distant observers.
1. The population explodes.
No, really. When factoring in summer residents, we’re talking double, triple, even quadruple the year-round population. Pretty impressive, even exciting - extra people equals a boom in town industry and economic infrastructure. Trouble is...
2. It’s impossible to get anywhere.
Roads getting congested? That’s nothing compared to drivers who have no idea where they’re going, zero parking spaces, backed up intersections, long lines at your usual hangout spots, and standstill traffic. Don’t think you can escape the chaos by forgoing automobiles, either: a tourist who respects a crosswalk is about as rare as a cryptid sighting. Good luck!!
3. Plenty of new adventures...
Gorgeous parks, food festivals, outdoor concerts on the green, kayaking spots, hiking trails teeming with wildlife, local theater, historical tours, countless beaches - there’s a reason why outsiders find summer towns so appealing. And since you’re a local, you know the lesser known (but equally awesome) hole-in-the-wall equivalent to any given tourist trap.
4. …so long as you’re not looking to party.
As my beloved Nana so eloquently described my hometown, “Old Saybrook [Connecticut] is for the newly wed and the nearly dead." That adage basically describes all small summer towns and their offerings for millennials - amazing during the day, but (depending on your nightlife preferences) kinda awful come dusk.
5. The police presence is…well…
Local police departments do an admirable job of keeping our towns safe, secure, and protected from harm. That being said...isn’t having officers monitoring every major street for easy tax money speeders just a tad bit overkill? And did you really have to make such a big deal about that police boat a few years back? And do certain higher-ups really need to fan their egos so flagrantly whenever they frequent their local Dairy Queens? I rest my case.
6. Photo ops are second to none
Whether you’re a camera phone fiend or DSLR addict, there’s always a breathtaking (or baffling) sight just around the corner for you to capture. My friends and I have spent many a day just biking around town and shooting whatever catches the eye.
7. Thrift shops and estate sales are the best.
The items you can procure through secondhand shopping tend to reflect the town demographic. So what sort of things can you find when a significant percentage of residents are rich, of retirement age, or both? High-end designer clothes at Goodwill, eclectic 19th century heirlooms, nearly new items, one-of-a-kind knickknacks, and all sorts of general weirdness. “One man’s trash is another man’s treasure” has never been more appropriate.
8. All the locals love sharing stories about celebrities who lived there.
Did you know that Katharine Hepburn lived in Old Saybrook, and that those iconic photos of her after the Hurricane of ‘38 were taken at her home in Fenwick? Or that former NBA star, N.K.B.T member, and Saybrook native Vin Baker manages the local Starbucks? Most summer towns have hosted their fare share of celebrities over the years, and us year-rounders love nothing more than talking your ear off about it.
9. Not all of us are filthy rich.
Contrary to popular belief, a significant percentage of year-rounders are middle-class families who happened to snag property before every home cost 500 grand. Others are part of dynasties going back generations, only able to live here due to inheriting land. Hundreds use local soup kitchens, and various town initiatives acknowledge the presence of low-income households barely making ends meet. Simply put, even the most quintessentially Stepfordian locales have their dark side.
10. Everybody knows everybody.
While not a universal truth - places like Cape Cod and the Jersey Shore are a little too large to be considered “towns” in the traditional sense - summer towns tend to be pretty tight knit, especially when it comes to year-rounders. Extended families are just as often comprised of close “aunts” and “uncles” as they are blood relatives, while kids who grow up in the public school system bond with the same faces from kindergarten to commencement. And even if you don’t know everyone and their business, you probably know someone who does.
11. No matter how far you go, you’ll never be able to stray far for long.
Call it a siren’s song, if you will - while many have tried to leave the summer town life come high school graduation, they cannot live without a sea breeze to envelop the soul. Even those who “escape” are swayed by rushing tides beckoning lost ones to return; though one’s place of sanctuary may differ from that of childhood, their home will always be distinguished by a closeness to coursing waters.
12. When summer’s over, it’s a ghost town. And yet...
Life year-round in the summer town is far from dull, despite the eerie silence when the tourists depart. From New England foliage to blizzards and sakura blossoms in the spring, beauty and everyday miracles await wherever you go, and you wouldn’t trade your blessings for the world.
