My Life In A Small Town | The Odyssey Online
Start writing a post
Student Life

My Life In A Small Town

They aren't as great as you would think, but I wouldn't trade it for anything.

27
My Life In A Small Town
Realtor.com

Small towns can be one of three things: a good thing, a bad thing or something in between.

A good small town are those you see in movies like "Pleasantville", "Footloose", "The Help", or pretty much any Nicholas Spark movie. But bad small towns are run down, extremely poor, and a "blink and you miss it" town. But those in between can be a mixture of the both. Taylorsville, North Carolina is one of those in between towns and I don't quite know how I feel about it.

Taylorsville, NC. Population: 2,063. The whole town is 2 square miles. Now compare that to New York City. You can fit Taylorsville 151 times into New York City and still have half a mile left over. Now this can be a very good thing because you get to know your neighbors, the people who you go to church with, the people you go to school with but then everyone and their brother knows your business. Unfortunately, small towns can have major downsides. The unemployment rate has been between 13.7% in 2006 to 6.7% in 2014. But what makes matter worse, almost 50% of all males who work in Taylorsville work in manufacturing. But since most of the factories have been moved to China, some of those men have lost their jobs and do not know anything else.

I have lived in Taylorville just a little more than 10 years of my life, so this is all I know. I use to love the small town life. I loved being able to drive and all you would see are trees, farms, small houses, and etc. It was so simple and I wasn't a fan of big cities at the time. Too loud, too crowded, just a little too much. I liked the larger towns for just a short period of time like a vacation but I would always want to go back home. But it was when I went to boarding school in Winston-Salem, NC that my feelings for home changed.

I was 14 at the time when I went to go live at boarding school and it was my first major time being away from home. I had gone to summer camps but they were out near the Pisgah National Forest away from big towns. But Salem Academy was different. There were more things to do now. I didn't have to drive 30 minutes just to go see a movie. I could walk downtown and have more than just a few places to eat, a small movie theatre, CVS's and a downtown that wasn't a mile long. Winston-Salem is no New York City but it was a start to introducing me to a bigger city life. So when I would go home for breaks, I started to have a problem with the small town life. It wasn't the same. It had began lost its natural feeling. I begin to love the concrete jungle instead of the jungle.

Now a sophomore at HPU and now living away from home for the past six years, Taylorsville hasn't quite lost the love I have for it but I have learned a lot. This Christmas Break has been an eye opener for me and my small town. I realized that I go to a university that is just a little more than twice the size of my hometown, I have more friends that live in more states than most people have ever seen. But this has been my first long break from school that I have been able to drive myself home which meant I got to drive through my country side by myself... just me and the country. Now that feeling is somehting that I wouldn't trade for the world and it is one of the reasons that Taylorsville still has a spot in my heart.

Report this Content
This article has not been reviewed by Odyssey HQ and solely reflects the ideas and opinions of the creator.
Featured

15 Mind-Bending Riddles

Hopefully they will make you laugh.

183936
 Ilistrated image of the planet and images of questions
StableDiffusion

I've been super busy lately with school work, studying, etc. Besides the fact that I do nothing but AP chemistry and AP economics, I constantly think of stupid questions that are almost impossible to answer. So, maybe you could answer them for me, and if not then we can both wonder what the answers to these 15 questions could be.

Keep Reading...Show less
Entertainment

Most Epic Aurora Borealis Photos: October 2024

As if May wasn't enough, a truly spectacular Northern Lights show lit up the sky on Oct. 10, 2024

10450
stunning aurora borealis display over a forest of trees and lake
StableDiffusion

From sea to shining sea, the United States was uniquely positioned for an incredible Aurora Borealis display on Thursday, Oct. 10, 2024, going into Friday, Oct. 11.

It was the second time this year after an historic geomagnetic storm in May 2024. Those Northern Lights were visible in Europe and North America, just like this latest rendition.

Keep Reading...Show less
 silhouette of a woman on the beach at sunrise
StableDiffusion

Content warning: This article contains descriptions of suicide/suicidal thoughts.

When you are feeling down, please know that there are many reasons to keep living.

Keep Reading...Show less
Relationships

Power of Love Letters

I don't think I say it enough...

454722
Illistrated image of a letter with 2 red hearts
StableDiffusion

To My Loving Boyfriend,

  • Thank you for all that you do for me
  • Thank you for working through disagreements with me
  • Thank you for always supporting me
  • I appreciate you more than words can express
  • You have helped me grow and become a better person
  • I can't wait to see where life takes us next
  • I promise to cherish every moment with you
  • Thank you for being my best friend and confidante
  • I love you and everything you do

To start off, here's something I don't say nearly enough: thank you. Thank you, thank you, thank you from the bottom of my heart. You do so much for me that I can't even put into words how much I appreciate everything you do - and have done - for me over the course of our relationship so far. While every couple has their fair share of tiffs and disagreements, thank you for getting through all of them with me and making us a better couple at the other end. With any argument, we don't just throw in the towel and say we're done, but we work towards a solution that puts us in a greater place each day. Thank you for always working with me and never giving up on us.

Keep Reading...Show less
Lifestyle

11 Signs You Grew Up In Hauppauge, NY

Because no one ever really leaves.

24618
Map of Hauppauge, New York
Google

Ah, yes, good old Hauppauge. We are that town in the dead center of Long Island that barely anyone knows how to pronounce unless they're from the town itself or live in a nearby area. Hauppauge is home to people of all kinds. We always have new families joining the community but honestly, the majority of the town is filled with people who never leave (high school alumni) and elders who have raised their kids here. Around the town, there are some just some landmarks and places that only the people of Hauppauge will ever understand the importance or even the annoyance of.

Keep Reading...Show less

Subscribe to Our Newsletter

Facebook Comments