Why doesn't everyone live in a small town??

 We've lived in our new home for just over a month now and several times a day I marvel at the convenience, security, and dare I say joy at living in a small town.  I know this wonder and appreciation all may wear off someday, so I'm going to write this quick.  Because at this point in life, I can't understand why we didn't make a move to a small town much earlier.  Well, yes, I can.... there's such a thing as living where you have a job, and living near family and friends..... But from an objective anthropological, sociological, geopolitical, and logistical standpoint, life in a small town just seems to make sense.

First of all, you get to see your friends everywhere.  For example, I ran into my new friend Maria at Walmart on Saturday.  Then we got to sit and have lunch together at our Classical Conversations group on Wednesday.  Then she happened to be at my new women's Bible study that night.  Then I found myself sitting next to her at a large parents' meeting the next day. I told her I promised I wasn't stalking her.

Really, though, we rarely go anywhere without seeing someone we know unexpectedly -- and we've only lived here for 6 weeks.  In fact, the very first time Pete went to the grocery store, on the very day we arrived, he saw someone he knew.

In a small town everyone will hold at least 2 positions in your life, which means you run into them more often.  Your home contractor will also be the worship leader at church.  Your realtor will also be your former professor's son.  You'll see your doctor at church and your teacher at the Y.  It's just one big pile of spaghetti here and everyone is connected if you pull on the noodles long enough.

Secondly, it's all just so dang convenient.  If you're running errands in town, you can't drive longer than 5 minutes -- or you'll no longer be in town.  "Traffic" is not a force here.  You don't have to avoid being on the roads between the hours of 7 and 10 am and 3 and 7 pm, as I've had to in other places I've lived.

Picking up the kids from school takes less than 7 minutes -- there and back.  No long carpool lines, no commute time to speak of.

If you live right in town, you can walk to work.  The first week we were here Pete actually ran/walked more miles than he drove in the car for all of his activities. You can also walk to the library, bank, farmer's market, post office, hair appointments, coffee shops, restaurants, etc.

And your kids can walk to all of those places on their own -- and even their own orthodontist appointments!  FREEDOM!

Thirdly, people know each other in a small town, so there is a built-in level of trust.  There is a feeling of security and safety. The kids can meet their friends for a movie or at the Y or at the park or at the coffee shop -- and no one needs to give them a ride.  Also, no one will think it's weird that an unattended minor is walking around town because everyone is doing it!

I suppose if a town gets too big, that feeling of security fades as people don't know each other as well, so maybe you only would want to live in a small-ish town.

On the other hand, if the town is too small, there won't be things like coffee shops and farmer's markets to walk to, so you wouldn't want to live there....

So, maybe I should modify my question to say, "Why doesn't everyone live in a small town of about 10,000 people?"

Small towns are good at coming up with things to do like festivals and things, but even so, some could make an argument that they could be rather dull places..... unless your small town happens to have a college campus within it.  If you have a college campus nearby, suddenly there are all kinds of fun amenities and activities to experience!  There are cultural events and concerts, art shows, lectures, shows, sporting events, and even a homecoming parade that will go right through your town. There's a bowling alley, indoor track, outdoor track, soccer fields, tennis courts, and racquetball courts that you can use.

So a college town is best, I think.  Why doesn't everyone live in a small college town of about 10,000 people?

Of course living in a town that small means it can't sustain every kind of business you might want, so you'd probably want to be rather close to a larger metropolitan area so you can go to the medical specialist when necessary or make a semi-regular trip to Trader Joe's, or fly out of an airport.... so I guess it would be best if your small town was only about an hour from a larger city.

Ok, so why doesn't everyone live in a small college town of about 10,000 people less than an hour from a big city?

I guess one of the problems is that small towns tend to grow.  We used to live near a cute small town and really liked it.... but then so did thousands of other people.  Next thing we knew, the town had almost tripled in size because it was SO nice... and then it was no longer a small town.

So the trick, then, is to find a small town that not everyone and their brother is going to love.  Like, maybe find a town that doesn't have the best weather.  Find one that, say, is cloudy a lot, or cold.  Preferably in a Northern state, like, say, Pennsylvania, since everyone seems to be flocking South.

Thus I am left with this question:  Why doesn't everyone live in a small, Northern college town of about 10,000 people about an hour from a big city?  

I think you'd really like it.

And if you want to move to my small Northern college town of about 10,000 near a big city, my former professor's son is a realtor who can help you.