You Know You're from a Small Town If....

Every so often, I see articles posted online stating “You know you’re from a small town if…” or “Living in a small town means…”.  These are always good for a laugh, because they are all so very, very true.  This week, I’ve compiled some of the most common items found on these lists and added my own comments here and there.  I’m sure some of these are meant to poke fun, but I prefer to see the charm in them.  To me, THIS is what’s right about small-town living.  Well, most of them, anyway…



*The grocery store was also the place to rent movies, drop off dry cleaning, rent a carpet shampooer, and to leave your rolls of film to be developed.

*You can name every person in your graduating class, and their GPA’s and you still keep in touch with every one of them

*It’s not abnormal for you to see horses, pigs, chickens, cows, etc. in someone’s back yard.

*When you call the wrong landline number, the person who answers will politely give you the correct number.  And you can also remember not having to dial the prefix when dialing…

*“Downtown” is where the old antique/resale shop, abandoned parking lot and one cafe are located.

*You never carried a key for your house because it was always unlocked. And, just in case, the only key was “hidden” in your mailbox or a flower pot so your neighbors, relatives and mailman would know where to find it if needed.

*You have attended a street dance, and the roadblocks were more a formality than a necessity.

*People can always find you. Flower deliveries make it to you no matter where you are at the time because the delivery person knows where to look and who to ask.



*You are somehow related to nearly everyone in town.  This makes dating tricky…

And on that same note… *It was almost impossible to not date your friend’s ex in high school. 

*There are very few streetlights where you live, so it’s somewhat impossible for you to sleep in a place that has them everywhere.

*A trip to the nearest Walmart or McDonald’s requires a road trip. 



*Everything shut down for high school football. When the team made the playoffs, the musical was rescheduled because the lead actor was also the quarterback.



*It was cool to hang out with or date someone from a neighboring school, except during football season when they were considered enemies.

*Driving a tractor to school was an acceptable thing to do, and there was likely a day designated to doing so each year.  I still have photos of Jeromy Jinks, pulling into the school parking lot on a tractor during Spirit Week’s “Farmer Day.”  Oh, the memories…

*You give directions based on local landmarks. “Left at the old tree with two stumps, right at the church, past the cotton field...”

*A high school girl was crowned the town queen during your annual festival.  Snake hunts, rodeos, watermelon festivals… all of them had queens!

* In high school, a bonfire was your idea of a good time, and a barn party was reserved for very special occasions.

*You were encouraged to bring a prom date from a different school just so there was a crowd at prom. Oh, and prom likely included a sit-down meal for everyone before the dance, which probably took place in the high school gym.



*You went to school with kids from other surrounding tiny towns. 

*You do not only know what FFA stands for, but were more than likely the president of your chapter.  Same goes for 4-H.

*You’ve stolen a speed limit or stop sign.  I prefer to say that I FOUND signs… and all of that was many, many years ago.

*If your family is going through some type of crisis, you aren’t surprised to find home cooked meals dropped off at your doorstep.

*The only traffic jam you ever experience is when farm equipment is traveling along the highway.  I generally plan to give myself extra travel time during harvest.

*Your college applications looked really good because you participated in all of the clubs and won a lot of scholarships.  This was impressive to outsiders who didn’t understand that this was the way to stay busy and social in your small school…

*You had designated senior skip days in high school.  

*When people ask you where you are from, you sort of mumble your tiny town’s name and then automatically tell them what larger town it is near. “Do you know where Duncan is?  We are 25 miles south…”

Some list items compiled from sources:  Emily Counts, blogger/founder of The Small Stuff Counts and Leslie Cole, thoughtcatalog.com.