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Growing Up in a Small Town: The Joys and Enduring Memories
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Published: Sep 7, 2023
Words: 739 | Pages: 2 | 4 min read
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The joys of small-town childhood, the challenges of small-town life, the enduring sense of community, conclusion: nurturing the small-town spirit.
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Why is it Better to Live in a Small Town
This essay will argue the benefits of living in a small town. It will discuss aspects such as community closeness, lower cost of living, and reduced stress levels. The piece will compare and contrast the lifestyle differences between small towns and larger cities, highlighting the appeal of a simpler, community-focused life. Also at PapersOwl you can find more free essay examples related to Community.
How it works
The United States is home to a diverse landscape of living. From the massive metropolises of New York and Chicago to the small, secluded communities of the Midwest, each end of the spectrum offers its inhabitants different styles of living. Large cities boast endless entertainment options, cultural diversity, and opportunities. However, many problems emerge when a person decides to move to a large city. The small town in which I live in has given me an insight into the advantages of small towns.
Although living in a big city has some benefits, people should consider living in a small town because it is more neighborly, more peaceful, and more affordable.
People need to consider living in small towns because the residents tend to be happier and more neighborly. Creating friendships with people is the key to happiness, and small towns are great places to meet friendly people. Big cities have several different types of neighborhoods, but some have higher rates of crime and are more dangerous than others. Also, it is difficult for residents to form relationships with their neighbors and other fellow citizens because of the large number of people that live in cities. However, smaller communities have neighborhoods that are safer and give people the opportunity to meet and make connections with the other neighbors. These strong connections made with neighbors creates a sense of friendship throughout the entire community. For this reason, Canadian researchers from the Vancouver School of Economics and McGill University believe that a correlation exists between the number of people in a town and the amount of happiness. Their research states:
It may seem contradictory that greater happiness is correlated with both lower population density (implying fewer interpersonal interactions) and a greater sense of “belonging” in one’s community (implying stronger social connections). But a significant body of research shows that having a strong social network is key to well-being. Some studies indicate that small towns and rural areas are more conducive than cities to forming social bonds, which would explain some of the greater sense of belonging observed in the happiest Canadian communities. (Ingraham)
The residents of smaller communities tend to possess a higher level of happiness because they are able to create friendships with other people. When my family and I go somewhere in my small town, my parents or I seem to meet someone we already know. We then converse with one another and get to know what is happening in each other’s lives. It is more difficult for people to see other people they know in larger communities because of the vast size.
Small communities also seem to possess a friendlier atmosphere than big cities because the residents are more traditional and “tight-knit”. Additional research conducted by the Vancouver School of Economics and McGill University states that people in small towns have a sense of belonging in their community because they know everybody and a large portion of the community attends church (Ingraham). Attending church services on the weekend is important to people because they realize that people have good moral values. These values help create a better connection with everyone within the community. For example, a vast majority of Catholics in my small town attend church every weekend, and this creates a neighborly environment within the parish and town. Almost every portion of the church is filled with people. According to a poll conducted by Gallup, it details reasons why small towns have greater Church attendances. “One possible factor in this phenomenon is the idea that in smaller communities, churches are commonly among the only venues for large social gatherings” (Lyons). Church services allow people to see each other and give time for people to socialize. By allowing people to converse with others, citizens of small towns create a friendly and neighborly environment. This gives a reason why people need to make the transition from a large city to a small town.
Not only do small towns give people a sense of belonging to the community, but they also give people a more relaxing and peaceful lifestyle. People prefer peace and quiet over loud noises. Therefore, people should live in a small community because it has a more peaceful environment. The many sources of tumultuous sounds in cities that can stimulate irritation to the local residents include vehicles, sirens, airplanes, and helicopters. These sounds are especially prevalent in the business districts, or downtowns, of big cities where a large concentration of people lives. The constant disturbance can produce negative health effects on the human body, according to research performed by the Imperial College of London’s School of Public Health. The research states, “[A]n increase of just five decibels in noise levels was linked to 0.3% higher blood sugar levels than those living in quieter neighborhoods” (Locker). This increase in blood sugar can result in serious health complications. Also, the research concludes that the pollution and noise produced by automobiles can contribute to hypertension and heart disease (Locker). These serious cardiovascular ailments can result in more frequent trips to the doctor, more medical bills to pay for, and in the extreme case, death. People who have these issues after experiencing the calamities of the noisy city life should consider moving to smaller, quieter towns. The small-town environment offers a peaceful lifestyle where the sounds of cars and sirens are less prevalent. Almost every small town has very little or no sounds from automobiles. The neighborhood that I currently reside in possesses a very small noise level because of the small number of vehicles that drive through it. The quietness of my small town makes me grateful because I do not favor the loud noises that many residents of larger communities experience every day.
The pollutants and noises from automobiles do not just create health problems, but the high number of cars can create traffic jams. Large cities have a reputation of having heavy traffic, especially during the morning and afternoon commutes. According to research conducted by Educated Driver, the average amount of time that people in big cities spend commuting to work is about 402 days (McGauley). This total number of days equates to over one year. In small communities, residents do not have to travel long distances because people’s workplaces are located closer together. Simultaneously, small towns residents are saving time as well as money because they do not have to refill their gas tanks frequently. Research performed by Citi, a financial research company, states, “[T]he average cost of a round-trip commute is $12 – with gas being the greatest commuting cost” (Huddleston). This high expense for gasoline can create a financial burden for many people living in large cities where traffic and long commutes are always present.
Small towns are also more peaceful than big cities because crime is less common. Almost every big city in the United States has an area in which crime is prevalent. These dangerous locations within each city prevent the inhabitants from enjoying their lives. Small towns, however, are less likely to have neighborhoods that contain high levels of crime. The Bureau of Justice Statistics gathered information about crime rates in urban and rural areas and calculated the following results: crime rates that occurred in urban settings were 74% higher than crime rates in rural areas (Duhart). Crime tends to be higher in cities because they contain more people and law enforcement has a larger area to patrol. Small towns are smaller in size and population, which makes it easier to protect. Residents in small communities also look out for their neighbors to keep each other safe from violence and crime. Because small towns produce healthier effects, less traffic, and lower crime rates, people must consider the option of moving to a rural community.
Small towns offer their inhabitants with a slower and more relaxing pace, but they also give people more affordable living options. Although living in a big city has more shopping and eating options, people need to consider living in a small town because they can save more money than their counterparts in bigger cities. Big cities offer their residents several options to eat and shop by having many restaurants and shopping centers. The local inhabitants enjoy these amenities because they provide them with more choices and alternatives. However, the wide variety of shops and restaurants creates temptations to spend and waste money. Cameron Huddleston explains that living in a small town can save people more money: “[T]here are fewer temptations to spend money on a daily basis in a smaller city.” Smaller towns do not have expensive and luxurious shops and eateries where people have the inclination to spend their money. For example, my family and I occasionally travel to Omaha to visit my sister. The beginning of our visit includes making a stop at Scheels, a sporting superstore in Omaha. I spend several hours shopping at this store because a majority of my wardrobe consists of items from Scheels. I spend a lot of time at Scheels, so my family spends a lot of money there as well. The amount of money my family and I spend each time makes a big dent in our budget. Also, when lunchtime arrives, we choose to dine at a restaurant that includes delicious, high-priced food. By eating at a restaurant with expensive and high-quality food, our spending total increases by a large amount. Living in a small town reduces the temptation to spend money at expensive and high-priced restaurants and shops because my family shops less and eats meals at home.
Living in a small town can also save people more money because the cost of living is more affordable. A resident of a big city spends is spends is more than a small-town inhabitant. Housing costs are the highest expense for people in big cities because prices for houses and apartments are extremely high, especially in downtown locations. Livability, a website that gives demographic statistics and data, states, “The median price of a Chicago one-bedroom apartment clocks in at $1,632 per month, but if you want to live in one of the smaller towns and cities around Lake Superior, you could find a fantastic place for just $675 per month” (Radbil). A person can purchase the same apartment for about a thousand dollars less in a small town than in downtown Chicago. Another example of this wide price gap is the house value of my family’s house in Columbus, Nebraska compared to my aunt and uncle’s house in Los Angeles. The value of their house in the city is over one million dollars, while my family’s home is priced less than one-third of their house’s value. Their house is priced nearly three times higher, but the size of their house is almost one-half the size of our house. High property values are not the only drawback of big-city living, but the amount of space is very limited in big cities as well. Another statement made by Livability reads, “[H]ousing is a huge issue in major cities. Today, the larger the city – New York, San Francisco, Los Angeles – the more expensive your rent is going to be and your place is going to be tiny. Moving to a smaller city will afford you the opportunity to get a bit more space for your family” (Radbil). In large cities, the citizens pay more money for less space than small-town residents. The size of my aunt and uncle’s residence is estimated to be about 2,000 square feet, while my family’s home is roughly 4,000 square feet. Also, they do not have a lawn, which is similar to many people with homes and apartments in large communities. The price and size comparisons show that housing costs in large metropolitan areas are considerably higher than in small towns. People should live in small towns because they are able to save more money and the cost of living is much lower than in big cities.
When people are in the process of deciding where to live, they must consider living in a small town. Columbus, Nebraska, a community with a population of about 20,000 people, has been my childhood town for the past eighteen years. I have traveled to several big cities, including Los Angeles, Chicago, Miami, and Dallas. Each time I travel to these large cities, I am grateful for the opportunity of growing up in a small town and not in a large metropolitan area. The benefits of living in a big city are few in number compared to living in a small community. The inhabitants of rural communities experience an atmosphere of kindness, happiness, and friendship. The peaceful and secluded environment of small towns is another benefit that citizens of big cities do not have the opportunity to enjoy. Also, the opportunity to save money and live a life without financial burden gives small towns a higher rating than large cities. It is clear that small-town living across the United States is very beneficial to many Americans because our small towns were and are still thriving since the beginning of this country.
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Commentary: Rural Students, Claim Your Story in Admissions Essays
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I live in a place where one of the best lunches you can get is a bologna sandwich from Nelson Valley gas station. It’s not a fancy sandwich and it’s not a fancy place, but there is something about it that is good and honest and makes you feel like you are suddenly sitting snugly inside 1962.
Pretty often in the summer, it can take some time to get to Nelson Valley because cars get hung up behind a tractor on the road, creating an impromptu parade. I don’t ever really mind though, because it forces me to sit back and look at the day, wonder about the weather, and think about how the lady at the grocery said it was going to be a long winter because the wooly worms are black. No amber in sight.
If you live in this kind of a place, you’re lucky like I am — even though it doesn’t always feel like it. And if you live in this kind of a place, you have the material to write an exceptional personal statement.
Two Facts You Need to Know
Fact No. 1 : Rural schools educate just 18 percent of the nation’s public school students, though 72 percent of the country’s land is designated as rural.
Fact No. 2 : Colleges and universities want student populations that are diverse.
When it comes to college and graduate school apps, we tend to think of diversity as pertaining to race, ethnicity, gender, or socio-economic background. But schools want geographically-diverse students and their perspectives, too, because they, you , strengthen the fabric of the academic conversation.
The take-home message here? You’re special. In fact, 82 percent of students don’t know what it’s like to have the experiences you’ve had. They don’t have a Nelson Valley. And they haven’t eaten that bologna sandwich either. So, if you’re wondering and wondering and wondering what to write about, I have a suggestion for you: Write about your rural life.
Not only will you get to write about something that you know, your rural background may not be obvious in any other part of your application. That means you’ll get to showcase another essential side of yourself, which is exactly what a personal statement is for. Another advantage? Writing rural can make a beautiful piece of writing.
Pull Your Story Through a Small Lens
In order to pull off a compelling essay, it’s important that you do a few things. First off, no matter what your prompt is, make sure your lens is small. If your goal is to put us where you live, then make sure you don’t tell us about the whole town or county. Your bedroom in that town works. Your kitchen. In the gym bleachers where you watch basketball games. Beside a creek where you have a lot of growing-up history. In the Walmart parking lot. In Sonic or Sonny’s. In the spot beside the road where there is a cross and flowers.
Your lens is meant to help you enter your story. Most prompts are designed to make you write about what you learned, realized, solved, or tried to solve within a specific set of circumstances. So the place and scenario you choose should act as a springboard that leads to you revealing parts of yourself and showing how your mind works.
As you write, it’s important that you focus on what is unique to your experience. I would avoid too many images of hay lofts, horses and climbing fences, for example. Instead, look for the gritty, hauntingly beautiful, out-of-the-ordinary and very ordinary stuff. A dog running by with a deer leg in its mouth during hunting season (it, umm, happens). The gum you’re chewing. The winter remnants of your grandmother’s garden. And if you do write about a horse, do so in a way that shows your knowledge about him. I don’t want to know he’s glossy or colored like a chestnut. Tell me about what he’s thinking. And how you know it.
For example, one of my students wrote about how he worked on a ranch one year, and one of his jobs was to move the sprinkler lines in the fields on icy cold mornings. What made his beginning beautiful wasn’t the ice or the ranch or that it was morning. It was the sprinkler lines. They grounded the story in honesty, and that’s how you knew he was telling the truth. When you know the writer is being truthful with you, that’s when you know you’re reading exceptional writing.
Rural Doesn’t Have to Mean Agrarian
As I write this, I’m thinking of the little apartment building I drove by today. I had to get some antibiotic foam at this medical supply store, and I took the wrong turn, so went all the way down Bogle Street to the end, which I’d never been down before. Well, Bogle Street is a pretty busy one because the town’s hospital backs onto it and, thus, many doctor’s offices do, too. But head a ways down the wrong end of Bogle and you’ll see that, very quickly, it becomes pleasantly windy and lined on either side with grassy fields dotted with brushy, woody pieces.
In the midst of it is this apartment building, sitting both in the middle of town and yet, somehow, in the middle of nowhere. And I thought to myself: “Man. I wonder what a personal statement from someone who lives there would be like. I bet it would be amazing.”
My point is: You don’t have to have a dad who’s a farmer to write about your rural life. You don’t need a tractor, a horse or a meemaw who cooks the best fried green tomatoes and lets them dry on newspaper. What you’re after is your take in your place. And how your place has created your take. You’re after that bologna sandwich from Nelson Valley.
Tara Kaprowy is a freelance journalist and the proprietor of Sway Essay , which provides writing coaching for college applicants. She lives in Somerset, Kentucky. This column was originally published in the London (Kentucky) Sentinel-Echo.
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by Tara Kaprowy, The Daily Yonder November 12, 2019
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Things I Learned Growing up in a Small Town
Updated: Jan 26, 2022
Growing up in a small town has its pros and cons. It wasn’t all sunshine and roses. This lifestyle isn’t for everyone, and that is okay. I struggled for many years before I discovered my authentic self and my place in the community. Despite the trials and tribulations, my small-town upbringing has taught me many valuable lessons. I often say, “What you put into the community is what you get out of it.” I have always believed that this community has helped me become who I am today. I am mountain made. (Pun totally intended.) Today, I want to share some of those lessons with you.
What you can and can’t get away with
One of the first things I learned as a child is what I could and couldn’t get away with. Not only are small towns notorious for town gossip, someone is always watching. Time and time again, I watched my peers try to get away with some rebellious act without getting caught. For example, one time a group of high schoolers ditched school to eat lunch at a local restaurant. The school clerk caught them when she walked in to pick up her lunch. Their failures taught me that doing something stupid wasn’t worth the consequences. Have pride in yourself. I don’t say something unless I am willing and able to back it up. You will receive pushback so you have to be ready to stand by your words or actions. If you don’t want the whole town talking about you, don’t give them something to talk about. Most importantly, when you do something wrong, there's no hiding it. Make your wrongs right by taking responsibility for your actions.
How to get along with people you disagree with
While I haven't completely masted this skill it is too important to leave off. Whether it’s kids at school or your bossy neighbor, in a small town, you have to learn to live with people you don’t necessarily like. Avoidance is not an option. It’s Murphy's law. You will cross paths with the one person you care not to see. The majority of us get our mail at the post office. If you don’t run into them in the post office, they will be at a community event. You already live in a small town, don't make it smaller by hiding out to avoid someone.
One thing that is overlooked, is how feuds are felt by the whole community. A big part of our culture is being a close-knit community and feuds get in the way of this. Everyone is related or best friends. Feuds put third parties in a difficult position. Sometimes it can feel like walking on thin ice while trying to remain friends with both parties in a dispute. You love them both, but inevitably one or more of the following drags you into the mess. A friend may make a negative comment about the other that makes you feel award. The tension can be felt. Socialization becomes challenging when trying to decide who to invite among the fears that one side will get an impression of favoritism. Consciously or unconsciously jealousy and competition are involved. Not to mention how much drama feuds add to the small-town rumor mill. Topped off with a game of hind and go seek around town while trying to avoid paths crossing. The bottom line is no matter how much you try to keep non affected people out of a feud, it is felt by everyone in a variety of ways. It’s all an unnecessary headache that only hurts more people. So please work things out for the sake of the community.
Giving Back Is Good for Your Soul
In small towns, especially in Julian, people show up for each other. Being a close-knit community means that everyone feels the trials and tribulations community members are going through. My community has survived multiple natural disasters, traumatic losses, and a whole host of challenging times. We get through these hard times because we come together to lend a hand. Whether it’s raising money for someone's medical treatment, giving to fill a need, or stopping to put on a spare tire for a neighbor, we do it. Small towns teach what the word "community" really means. Growing up in such a caring culture made giving second nature to me. As a young adolescent, I was really struggling to find myself. My parents pushed me to get involved in our local volunteer fire department. Almost immediately I found more confidence in myself, and the volunteer work I was doing brought new purpose into my life.
How to stand up for something you believe
In communities with smaller populations, the impacts of political decisions are felt on a more personal level. A tax increase or a school budget cut is directly felt by community members. I will never forget the morning after three of my eleven teachers received pink slips. Fortunately, local public officials are accessible. I mean like a school board member is your best friend's mom, and the local fire chief is your neighbor. This also means that it is easier to get elected to a local public office with a grassroots campaign. Throughout my childhood, I had the opportunity to participate in controversies like the battle to reopen Jess Martin Park and the battle to keep local control over fire protection. If my parents weren’t hosting the meetings at our house, they and my friends’ parents took their kids to local meetings. As early as fourth grade, I was writing letters to the editor. Between the ages of thirteen and eighteen, I spoke at numerous local meetings on a variety of issues. At the age of nineteen, I was elected to the Julian Cuyamaca Fire Protection Board of Directors. Needless to say, over my short lifetime, I have learned how to stand up for what I believe in.
In the early days, my parents taught my siblings and me a work ethic through chores like the never-ending yard work and volunteering throughout the community. One by one, as we reached our teenage years, my siblings and peers learned a true work ethic by taking a service-based job during the busy tourism season (aka Apple Days) at a local business. There’s nothing quite as intense as serving thousands of hungry visitors for an eight- to twelve-hour shift and doing so every day for five months. Did I mention the pay is minimum wage? Now that’s how we teach our youth a true work ethic.
How to entertain yourself
Living in a town with the closest mall, movie theater, theme park, or you-name-it over an hour away, entertainment was a luxury. (Side note: the internet wasn’t ubiquitous when I was a kid, but for the record, it is very unreliable in the mountains.) As kids, we spent hours outside, using our imaginations to turn our backyards into any place we could dream of. We rode bikes, built forts, and learned to hunt, and I built any toy I wished for out of cardboard. It’s crazy to think we did all of this self-education and entertainment without the internet to teach us. Still to this day, I don’t watch much TV. Maybe that’s why I have so much time to blog.
To be well-rounded
When there are only thirty students in your class and an entire high school population of 110 students, there aren't enough kids in the school to fill up all the clubs and sports teams. So we made up the difference by double-dipping. Do you want to be on the varsity football team? Just sign up. Wanna be the yearbook editor? The volunteer position is yours. Lead in the school play? Break a leg! Moral of the story is attending a small school in a close-knit community makes you a well-rounded person. Knowing a little bit about a variety of things has come in handy for me more times than I can count. I can understand a variety of people, I have an array of experiences to bring to the table, and self-education is second nature.
To be prepared for anything.
Living a rural lifestyle, surviving multiple natural disasters, keeping myself entertained, and being well-rounded have all taught me to be prepared for anything. When you live twenty-five miles away from the closest chain business, you have to be self-sufficient. This means buying in bulk, keeping an emergency supply on hand, and knowing how to do just about anything yourself. Living in an uncontrolled environment keeps me grounded. It reminds me that a higher power is in control. When things do go awry, I am reminded of the countless blessings I have been given.
Life can be simple—and that’s okay.
The community I live in is very economically diverse. For the most part, we are made up of average Joes just living out a simple life. We really don’t need a big house, a fancy car, and the latest technology. After an hour or two stacking firewood in the cold, when you finally come inside, you really appreciate the fire. Country folk work hard, live within their means, and give back when they can. It’s a simple, old-fashioned way of life but that’s just how we like it.
How to grow where you are planted
It wasn’t until my teenage years—and even more so now in my twenties—that I really started to learn to grow where I was planted. As a young child, I was unaware of the life I would have had if I’d grown up in the city. So I lived the life I knew. In my early teens, being surrounded by peers who lived for the day they could leave made it a real struggle for me to grow where I was planted. Through lots of personal development, college experiences, and travel I was able to write my story and embrace my authentic self. Whether it is a job you hate or the town you are stuck in, we all have to do things that aren’t ideal. Being able to persevere will help get you to where you want to be. I acknowledge that small-town life isn’t for everyone. It is for me, though, and I am creating a path that allows me to live this lifestyle.
- Small Town Life
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Home / Essay Samples / Life / Town / Small Town vs Big City
Small Town vs Big City
- Category: Life
- Topic: Town
Pages: 1 (412 words)
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