Everyone talks about their neighborhood growing up. It could have been good, or it could have been bad, but no matter what, you always pick up little things from your small town. I have lived in Benton for most of my life and now that I have thought about leaving it, it really makes me sad. So here is what I have learned from growing up in Benton, Illinois.

1.) Good or bad, our community always comes together to celebrate or mourn. When good things happen, our town celebrates together. Such as when our sports teams come home from a big game, such as state, we all gather around the square to welcome them in. In the bad, our town comes together to support and lift up one another. Such as when someone passes, many times our town has came together to support and help each other in any way.

2.) We all know the little kinks to our town. We all know the quickest routes to take to get to school or to Wal-Mart. We all know which roads to slow down and watch for cops on and we know the roads that don't really matter. And for the most part, we know exactly where we are most of the time.

3.) We hate when someone disrupts the flow of town. We all have those times where we get an out-of-towner that doesn't know how to use the square. Or when a semi truck stops and sits in the middle of the road.

4.) We all know about those wonderful, fantastic trains that come through. Throughout the entire town, there are always those wonderful trains that decide to stop and just sit, separating half the town. Trains are everywhere and there is no way to avoid them.

5.) You will always cherish our small town, even when you move on to bigger and better things. No matter if you hate it or love it, the small town that you grow up in will always be home to you.

Your hometown, big or small, will always hold a special place in your heart and all your memories will always be here. Like it or not, this is your home, and it always will be.