what are the benefits of small-town living? what are the drawbacks?

Question

one benefit is that everybody knows everyone else.
one drawback is that everybody knows everyone else.

what else is there?

Answer 1

LOL.. I love this question..

I'm going to get personal here, because I live in a small town, and have been impressed and changed from it.

Daily life..Today is Sunday, nothing is open other than two gas stations, one local grocer and the churches. So that packs everything into doing errands on Saturaday, and usually all the stores close up by noon that day as well.

The local grocer stops at 8 pm. everyday, but they will carry your groceries for you to your car and place them wherever you want them while you tend to your kids.

The one bar that is there is full of all the same people, I don't know any of them, but the one time I felt like playing pool when the kids weren't home, and the hubby was away, I shot pool solo, then settled at the bar for a marguerita to have 2 men yell at me to "come over here, honey".. to which a lovely bartender said "Hey she don't take orders I do, so settle down over there" ...she had my back, and knowing this wasn't a normal hangout for me, made me comfortable and chatted with me to keep me company.

You bump into people all the time from school, or people associated with your work, or theirs, since I visit many businesses throughout my week, they all know me by name, and it feels good to have them see you and ask how are you doing and mean it. If someone in my family has been ill, they will ask, and offer to do something nice for them, and mean that too.. and will tell whichever family member it was that they saw me and had to come by to check on them.

The fast food here tastes good, no McDonalds or Taco Bell, but you can get fried orka, and good BBQ sandwiches just by calling and saying "Hi this is _____, and I need to place a to go order" And they say "Hi _____, how are you doing hun?..You want your usual, cause we've got a this or that as a special and I know you want some of grannies carmel apple pie, do you want whipped cream this time or no?" Not that I order 'to go' often, but when I do it's for a certain craving because the food does taste good, and the 3 places in town that I frequent, I know the owners because their kids or grandkids go to school with my kids.

Family comes first, everyone knows that here, so when there is a town fair, such as I experienced the past few days, you will see whole families enjoying time together, and by that I mean you can almost see family reunions happening. If you stand in one place long enough you can see people you have graduated high school with, cousins that you haven't seen in years with their children, your kids teachers and their families, and there isn't a beer stand anywhere in sight, family events mean family, not getting tipsy and rowdy, and that's respectable, but it makes for a less enthusiastic demolition derby crowd. But if you have a child that has to use the restroom while your waiting for another to get done on a ride, there are plenty of people around that will say "Oh I'll walk her there".. and you don't have to worry if she's in good hands.. because you know these people.

The newspaper is a riot, small town has to borrow from other towns occasionally, but at least you do know whats going on, if the town is going to make descisions, you are aware of it, and everyone has their hands in volunteering, or making their opinions count, and will lend everything they own to see to a successful addition. As well as stop something that isn't acceptable. Town Hall meetings are open to everyone, and everyone counts. If someone passes away, has a baby, was in a car accident, or (got a speeding ticket.. everyone knows that too..) so I think it promotes good behavior in a small measures.
One of the funniest things I ever read I couldn't believe made the paper, or someone being asked to leave the restaurant because they were too loud, no names mentioned, but it was funny to read.

Drawbacks?.. I can't shop for just anything, just anywhere, without running into someone.. so I need to travel a bit sometimes for those personal items like unders.

Monopoly of having to travel a bit for items needed is well understood, so you can pay up to 3 times what an item is worth just to have it now, eather than to wait till you are going to a bigger city, the convienience is nice, but expensive, even compared to gas prices today.

The air is cleaner, if you aren't far out in the countryside where the farms have their own distinct aromas in the hot summer sun.

It is harder to have big companues to want to locate here because it is in the middle of nowhere, so jobs are tight, and many travel to nearby cities, which takes time away fromt heir personal lives.

I like it here, it's peaceful, I don't have a neighbor that lives so close that they know if I woke up in the middle of the night and turned on my kitchen light for a drink of water...You can see the stars at night since they aren't overpowered by the lights of the city, and the traffic isn't bad, unless you get stuck behind a slow moving tractor.

Answer 2

In a small town everyone knows each other. They know if you come from a decent family or if you don't. They care about you. I live in a small town, in the US, thousands of miles away from the Island of Puerto Rico where I am originally from. Recently, my dad and mom passed away, and the love and care this town showed me in a hard time such as that one made a world of a difference. In the city, people would have been indifferent.
The drawback is that if you are a social worker, teacher, or a person that deals a lot with people's personal information it is not advisable to socialize with the people of the small town because the client who is being attended by any of the people I have mentioned may feel you may be talking about them. I try to keep a low profile until I get to the supermarket and some mom or dad talks to me about his son/daughter or talk shop. Just when I thought I can go and shop at the supermarket for fifteen minutes I am out in an hour! Oh, well. . .

David

Answer 3

The benefits to me are you have low crime or no crime, you know who all your neighbors are, you probably all work at the same place. You everyone can get together and disgust the issues that need to be address about the going on in the town. More than likely you grow your own food and have your own livestock so you don't have to worry where your next meals going to come from. The drawbacks might be, you probably don't like the idea of everyone know your business, your are to exclude from people not living in your town, the weather might not be what you need for your crops so you have less food to eat. The watering system might be poor. It might be hard to get electricity where you are. Too far from the good hospitals.

Answer 4

Small town living used to be good, but nowadays its not like it used to be. A few years ago I went back to my own small town to find out crack had done a number on it. It came thru like a whirlwind and destroyed a lot of people.

There really isn't a small town anymore, not mentality anyways. The days of the hayseed hick are long gone. Oh yeah, the acent when they talk is there, but the brain is totally different. Rap music on the farm. Baggy pants in the barn. Everybody wanna be a gangsta.

Small town life aint the same.

Answer 5

You know what, I was going to answer one way then as I read through the answers I think my opinion changed. Actually what probably changed was my definiton of "small town". I was born and raised in New York City. I lived in Brooklyn, Queens, the Bronx and Staten Island. I visited Manhatten often.

After a few years of marriage I moved to what I deemed to be a small town in NJ and absolutely love it. It is a great place to bring up my kids, I love the town festivals, and charm. The school system and the small town feel and slower pace. It is still close enough to go out to dinner and a show in NYC if we want to. The only drawback was the inability to find a good pizza place. My brothers who still live in NYC refer to it as Mayberry.

The funny thing is that the town has approx 20,000 people in it. After reading through the responses to this question, I guess my town isn't that small after all. I have found it very interesting to see what the perception of a small town really is to the vast majority of people in the US, and how different that is from the perception of someone that lived in a truly large city is.

Answer 6

these are some of the drawbacks I have noted
1) goldfish bowl mentality... (Oh look there's a castle... Oh look there's a castle..... Oh look there's a castle.. ad infinitum)
2) lack ofdiversity, socially, morally, politically, every way (Go to any small town and take a look at the blokes at the bar of the pub... go back in 20 years... Nothings changed.. same people siting on the same stools saying the same things..)
3) social inbreeding.... ( people with limited views limiting the views of everyone else until the whole town has a generic view)

Answer 7

I think you nailed it on the head. I have never lived in a "small town" Well my city is only 3 miles long, there are soooooo many people here. But those towns that everyone knows everyone...I think it would be sorta crappy and good at the same time. In a town where everyone knows you, god forbid something negitive happened. Then the whole town may think less of you...
I think a positive part is that everyone knows their neighbors. I live in a city where people move so often it's really hard to become friends with your neighbors. I guess there is more of a trust factor with people who have always lived in one place. The only thing that I think would bug me about a small town, is people generally trust everyone, and leave their doors unlocked and such. What about those losers that go to those places just to rob them because they know that the doors are open. I dunno. Living in a city with a million people makes me kinda crazy. I always think I want to go to the country where there aren't many shootings and such, but then I see the movies and that's where all the hick horror movies take place!! I guess I'll just be uncomfy anywhere I live!! i think I got off subject..sorry...

Answer 8

Pros:
1.Security, because everybody knows everybody, it's difficult for criminals, terrorists, drug-dealers to infiltrate, therefore, the life will be more secure.

2.better environment for children to grow up, no drug, no street gang.

3.I have never lived in a small town, but I figure that since everybody knows everybody, when you get in trouble, your neighbors will be more likely to help.

Cons
1. Limited economic opportunity, that's why so many young people from small town leave their home for big cities.

2. No privacy, everybody knows everybody means that more often than not, everybody knows more about everything about you.

Answer 9

WEll with a small town it is easier to get to and from alot more room for your kids to grow up and explore and do things in the country with animals and stuff.. The drawback is there is usually only one movie theater and a bowling ale with nothing else to do so they go and party all the time and do drugs.. Also higher pergnacy rate..

Answer 10

benefits are its better for children as less exposed to negative influences like in the cities...cleaner air, and often friendlier people and more community spirit.
The drawback is the gossip and the always knowing what the other is doing and talking about things like that....this kills the positives of small town.
To survive it you have to be squeaky clean and nondescript and totally boring...

Answer 11

I like just being out in the middle of nowhere. Less noise, more relaxing. Im in less of a rush. I dont see any drawbacks - If theres something not in town that I need I can travel to get it.