Going to college in a busy town means I tend to forget what it's like living in the middle of nowhere. Now by the middle of nowhere, I don't mean that I live miles and miles away from my neighbors. I just mean it takes me about 45 minutes to an hour to get to the closest mall, and there are forests and farms that stretch forever.

I have to say there are some pretty awesome things about living in the middle of nowhere:

1. The Views

It's different for everybody that lives in the middle of nowhere. For me, I get to see mountains, lakes, fields, and farms. We're not stuck seeing rows and rows of houses, McDonalds, and Starbucks. Instead, we get to see green everywhere. In the fall we even have "leaf peepers" come to visit just to take pictures and see the colors of nature.

2. Peace and Quiet

Say goodbye to the sounds of cars passing by and the natural rumble of people, and say hello to peace and quiet. Yeah, the birds may be chirping or if you live close to a farm you can wake up to the sound of a rooster crowing or the cows bellowing (moo), but otherwise it's pretty quiet. Unless you have a neighbor who likes to mow his lawn really early in the morning.

3.You Know Everyone

This is both an upside and a downside, but it's nice to be able to walk into a store and be able to say hi to everyone and know who they are. You never have to wonder who people are. The bad side is that everyone knows all your business whether you want them to or not.

4. Outdoor Adventures

Living in the middle of nowhere means you have plenty of areas to go exploring and hiking. There are trails everywhere. Sometimes you don't even need a trail. Just pick a mountain, climb it, and hope you don't get eaten by a bear along the way.

5. Diversity

You can never see it all when it comes to the wildlife. Deer, bears, coyotes, mountain lions, wild boars, the list goes on. Not only that, but the area is diverse. It's not just buildings stacked up on each other; it's farms, forests, lakes, rivers, mountains, fields of many different things, tree farms (yes, tree farms), the list goes on.

6. Stars

Living in the city, you might get excited to see one or two stars at night. Out in the middle of nowhere, there is no light pollution to stop you from being able to make out constellations. It's nice to just lay outside on a blanket and stare up at the stars.

7. Quads, Dirt Bikes, Snow Mobiles, Gators, Trucks

Odds are you own one of these things, and by gator I don't mean alligator. Look it up. When there is open land everywhere to roam wild and free, it means flying around, ripping up grass, and going mudding.

8. You Have More Time to Self-Reflect

When you live in the middle of nowhere, your lifestyle is a little more relaxed. Sure, you have to balance work, chores, seeing friends, and whatnot, but because there aren't many places to go (the mall, Starbucks, Panera), you have more time to just chill. This quiet alone times gives you time to really think about your day, reflect on yourself, and how you can grow as a person.

9.You Can Have All the Pets You Want

Even if you don't live on a farm it doesn't mean you can't have one. It's OK to have five dogs and three cats, and maybe even a goat. It's normal. Why not when you have so much land for them to roam on?

10. You Could Probably Survive a Zombie Apocalypse.. or "The Hunger Games"

You probably know how to shoot a gun, and I don't mean a pistol. You might also know how to shoot a bow. You probably also know how to start a fire from all of the nights you've spent sitting around one.

11. No Traffic

Some roads aren't lined for miles on end, some roads are just dirt, and almost all roads have no traffic.

12. You Know How to Make Your Own Fun

Try bringing a city person to the middle of nowhere. They'll love going quadding and sitting around a bonfire, but there are only so many days before they just need to go to Starbucks, shopping, or out clubbing. We have learned to make our own fun around here because we don't have many things to entertain us.

13. Plenty of Places to Party

We go far beyond just your normal house party. Sure, we have house parties, but we also have parties in forests, cornfields, and dead-end roads. It usually involves setting up a bonfire basically anywhere, because by living in the middle of nowhere, not many people are going to hear you.

14. Famous People Have Vacation Homes Near You

Sure, it's not like living in Hollywood, but it's nice to drive by a house and be able to say, "Vin Diesel owns that house," and then fantasize about meeting him.

15. You Learn to Appreciate the Non-Materialistic Things.

Considering that the closest mall is not close at all and living in the middle of nowhere means doing a lot of outdoorsy things, materialistic things aren't so important. Nobody really cares about getting all done up with their makeup (what is this Kylie Jenner Lip Kit thing?), having expensive clothing from only boutiques, and having their nails on point 24/7. Sure I have a few nice pieces and get my nails done from time to time, but I don't feel the need to go to the mall every week and spend crazy money on things that I could easily get at TJMax that could last a lot longer.

Living in the middle of nowhere and not caring about materialistic things has taught me to appreciate what is really important in life. I focus more of my time on my friends and family and actually doing things with them like going for a walk and talking, instead of sitting with our faces in our phones (yes, I still do that from time to time too.) It has taught me to get outside and appreciate everything around me. To not rush through everything and live in the moment. Even though living in the middle of nowhere definitely can suck from time to time, it has its perks.