You Know You Live in a Small(ish) Town When...

[MisterCairo]

When spring formally arrives because the park swans, having wintered in a dedicated building with outdoor access to a heated pond, are paraded by a pipe and drum band from the facility (which I lived behind for several years) to the Avon River:

http://www.stratfordbeaconherald.co...ance-unveils-its-two-day-swan-parade-schedule

Here are the swans in their winter home. The pond is heated, and you can see the doors into their dedicated shelter building.

The ducks are just poseurs hanging around for free food and a swim...

 

[sheeplady]

You are awakened by the sound of a backhoe demolishing the house up the street where the crazy woman lived, and neighbors are standing around gaping to see what's inside.

This happens here... with trees. You get a serious little crowd standing around watching the tree come down at one point or another. Then later, as some unofficial yet commonly known time after the workers are finished, a group of neighbors gathers around the stump and they debrief the process while catching up.

 

[BobHufford]

When this counts as "official" signage.

 

[MisterCairo]

When your village is named after its first permanent European inhabitant, and he's still technically here. Welcome to Sebringville, Ontario, the Hamlet with a Heart:

 

[sheeplady]

I got you one better: since being established by "white settlers" the town has had two official names. While the Second name has replaced the First, the most prominent street in the village still has the First name.

As does the Mayor.

Yup, that's right, our mayor is a direct descendant of one of the first prominent white settlers here almost 220 years ago.

 

[Correus]

Question....

What is your definition of a "small town", people wise?

Where I live we are lucky to have about 1,500 souls and a portion of these are those who live in the country but are part of our school district.

As to the original statement - "you know you live in a small town when..."

Your family has lived here for less than 75 years and you're family is considered one of the "new" families. BTW - mine is one of the "old" families.

Another is when you go to the post office, realize you forgot your box key, go to the desk and you don't even have to ask - they just get up, go straight to your box and hand you your mail.

 

[Stearmen]

I live in the 40th largest city in the USA, yet I still say, "this town is getting to big!"

 

[Trenchfriend]

A town is a smalltown, if you can take a nice walkaround around the whole town, which is probably a stretch of circa easy ten kilometers.

 

[Haversack]

… there is only one telephone in the town and its in the gasthaus/pub. Ran across this in a very small town north of Nürnberg back in the early '80s.

 

[Fading Fast]

I got you one better: since being established by "white settlers" the town has had two official names. While the Second name has replaced the First, the most prominent street in the village still has the First name.

As does the Mayor.

Yup, that's right, our mayor is a direct descendant of one of the first prominent white settlers here almost 220 years ago.

That's very cool. Is he a neat guy with a good perspective on his connect to history?


Since I've never lived in a really small town (grew up in a smallish town, but surrounded by bigger one and we had the mainline of the Pennsylvania RR stop in ours - so there was a feeling of connection to "the world" there). But my idealized version of a small town (fully realizing it is not real at all) is the small town from the movie "Doc Hollywood."

 

[Correus]

A town is a smalltown, if you can take a nice walkaround around the whole town, which is probably a stretch of circa easy ten kilometers.

Around here that would be a city!!!

The town I live in covers a total area of 0.91 square miles. I can walk the town's city limit/boundary in about 30-45 minutes depending on my speed.

 

[Trenchfriend]

My german smalltown is 21,34 square-miles, 5.500 people at the city proper.

 

[LizzieMaine]

A small town depends on context. In my state, our biggest city is around 70,000 people, which people in the Eastern Metroplex would consider a small town. We generally consider a small town to be less than 5,000 people -- there are lot of places in the 5000-8000 population range that are legally considered "cities."

But aside from context you could call a small town any community the kids can't wait to grow up and get the hell out of, only to grow up, old, and retire, and come back to it.

 

[Correus]

A small town depends on context. In my state, our biggest city is around 70,000 people, which people in the Eastern Metroplex would consider a small town. We generally consider a small town to be less than 5,000 people -- there are lot of places in the 5000-8000 population range that are legally considered "cities."

But aside from context you could call a small town any community the kids can't wait to grow up and get the hell out of, only to grow up, old, and retire, and come back to it.

LOL - very true!

Around here a small town is generally 3,000 or smaller. Our biggest city is around 360,000 - which is considered "small" nationally.

 

[greatestescaper]

When the town does not even have a blinking light, only stop signs. Also street signs were added in the last decade for the purposes of 911 response operators (people needed proper addresses), and most locals still have not learned the street names. As such the majority of directions are based on local landmarks of who lives in which house or which business is at the corner of the turn you need. The postal service does not deliver in town, only to the ranches and other rural communities, so folks in town are required to have a PO Box. And anyone going to the big town (6,000 people there) 25 miles away stops in the drugstore to pick up any prescriptions that may be needed for the less able bodied. Our town is so small that we do not have a pharmacy.

 

[Correus]

When the town does not even have a blinking light, only stop signs. Also street signs were added in the last decade for the purposes of 911 response operators (people needed proper addresses), and most locals still have not learned the street names. As such the majority of directions are based on local landmarks of who lives in which house or which business is at the corner of the turn you need. The postal service does not deliver in town, only to the ranches and other rural communities, so folks in town are required to have a PO Box. And anyone going to the big town (6,000 people there) 25 miles away stops in the drugstore to pick up any prescriptions that may be needed for the less able bodied. Our town is so small that we do not have a pharmacy.

HEY!!! You just described my town! Funny...you get so use to everything you just mentioned it becomes commonplace and you forget to mention it.

Are all of your streets paved? Are's aren't, only 2/3rds are, but two of these are supposed to get paved this summer.

 

[green papaya]

You know you live in a small town when a stranger greets you walking down a quiet street, in regular sized towns / cities people dont usually greet a stranger passing by

I tried that once while riding bicycles / motorcycles and they look at you like why are you waving at me? and sometimes they would give me the "bird" middle finger salute, so it's best to keep to yourself.

 

[greatestescaper]

HEY!!! You just described my town! Funny...you get so use to everything you just mentioned it becomes commonplace and you forget to mention it.

Are all of your streets paved? Are's aren't, only 2/3rds are, but two of these are supposed to get paved this summer.

Main street is paved, and one or two others, but the vast majority of them are some combination of dirt or gavel. Honestly, I hope they don't pave more, partially because I enjoy small town living, but also because the paved ones end up in worse repair than the dirt roads. That is certainly the case in the larger nearby town where they've got mostly paved roads. Those roads are rough. I actually live in a small community up in the mountains (20 miles by road), and it's all dirt roads back this way. Some of 'em are 4x4 only. Sure it gets rough after some rain, but it is really comforting driving home after a long day.

 

[Correus]

Main street is paved, and one or two others, but the vast majority of them are some combination of dirt or gavel. Honestly, I hope they don't pave more, partially because I enjoy small town living, but also because the paved ones end up in worse repair than the dirt roads. That is certainly the case in the larger nearby town where they've got mostly paved roads. Those roads are rough. I actually live in a small community up in the mountains (20 miles by road), and it's all dirt roads back this way. Some of 'em are 4x4 only. Sure it gets rough after some rain, but it is really comforting driving home after a long day.

I agree about the paving vs non-paving. In our area the roads that get paved are done as cheaply as possible and end up worse IMHO. The main reason the two are getting paved here is flooding. They are going to be built up first and then paved. It's that cheep kind where they use old paving from another location, grind it up and spread it on the dirt. It will be trash in just a few years and people will complain about potholes and washboarding.

 

[LizzieMaine]

You know you live in a small town when the UPS driver sees you riding by on your bike and pulls over in front of you to hand you a package addressed to your job.