Top 5 Reasons To Love A Small Town
April 9th, 2008 Categories: Life in General
Photo by Shirley Morisse
I was born and raised right here in good old Clatsop County. Like most 18 year olds who spent their youth in a small town, I was really only certain about one thing: I was getting out of this one horse town and never looking back. Fast forward 14 years and here I am BACK in this one horse town and discovering how great small towns can really be. (Provided you don’t want to FedEx something on a Saturday, hit the gym for a workout after 10pm, anonymously have a post-work cocktail to unwind, or anonymously do anything really.)
- People talk to you! Yes, it’s true what they say, friendliness abounds in small towns. This can be both good and bad, but mostly good. Bonnie the checker at Safeway will tell you the recent hijinks of her Terrier named Rascal despite the long line; Jimmy at Pro Lube who hasn’t seen you since you were 10 will loudly exclaim you aren’t the homely girl they remember you being; and if you unknowingly drop a dollar bill, a stranger will happily chase you down the street to return it without fear of being maced.
- There’s no carpool lane! Say goodbye to your depressing morning commute that requires you to roll out of bed at 5am so you can beat the 7am stampede at the local Starbucks, then drive 10mph in the carpool lane for an hour and MAYBE make it to work on time. Some old timers here in the county may argue that nowadays we have a rush hour akin to Seattle at 4pm, but I’ve yet to hear a traffic report on any local radio station. Amen.
- Escape civilization in 5 minutes or less! Hankering for some Zen time void of all humanity? No need to schedule that 7 hour drive to the nearest State Park into your Blackberry a month in advance. Here in Astoria you can drive a few miles in any direction and find beaches to walk, mountains to hike, and rivers to fish.
- Kids still play outside! If you are accustomed to driving the sprawling subdivisions of any major metropolitan area, seeing children playing outside is a rare occurrence. Around here, it’s still commonplace to see kids running rampant through neighborhoods until the final waning hour of daylight. Depending on your parental status, or “auntie” status as is the case for me, this is another one that can be both good and bad.
- Coffee on demand! This is not a universal small town perk, but it certainly is true here in Astoria. We love our lattes and you can get one just about anywhere. We have a plethora of drive-thru stands, sit-down coffeehouses, and various conglomerations of businesses where you can do your laundry, tan, rent a movie, and have your double mochaccino to boot.
How true!
Leave your response!
Really Simple SyndicationAuthors
Blogroll