Small town living

[stephenPE]

When you live in a small town things are different Im sitting here early waiting on my colleague's husband (retired prison warden) to bring his tractor and box blade to help me fix and level my yard after last weeks explosion of putting in large leech beds to make my house waste flow. HE insists I do not pay him. I guess cause Im his grandsons PE coach and he loves PE., I try to help the guy build our fall festival each year. He does most of it. Breakfast was two of the many eggs another colleague gave me last week taking here tutoring class one afternoon. Two small green bantam chicken eggs. With that my glass of fresh squeezed grapefruit juice. Some guy had trimmed his grapefruit tree and left dozens of them on a table at our dump for anyone to use (really transfer station of bins for us to throw stuff in). Excellent juice, Wish I knew the guy. My other citrus guy (like a brother to our family) who works at a bank in Alachua gets free BB tix and so gave me some when I went to get citrus from him for my dad weeks ago. Texted me yesterday to come get more oranges this weekend. The old saying "I am blessed" certainly applies to me.

 

[crosscreekcooter]

Well I was born in a small town
And I live in a small town
Probably die in a small town
Oh, those small communities
All my friends are so small town
My parents live in the same small town
My job is so small town
Provides little opportunity
Educated in a small town
Taught the fear of Jesus in a small town
Used to daydream in that small town
Another boring romantic that's me
But I've seen it all in a small town
Had myself a ball in a small town
Married an L.A. doll and brought her to this small town
Now she's small town just like me
No I cannot forget where it is that I come from
I cannot forget the people who love me
Yeah, I can be myself here in this small town
And people let me be just what I want to be
Got nothing against a big town
Still hayseed enough to say
Look who's in the big town
But my bed is in a small town
Oh, and that's good enough for me
Well I was born in a small town
And I can breathe in a small town
Gonna die in this small town
And that's probably where they'll bury me

 

[G 2]

I think of small town living more as a mindset. We live in a city that is anything but a small town. Yet people still do favors all the time for each other. Just this morning one of the nurses we work with is bringing over her expensive SLR to take Valentine's pictures of the kids. We'll repaid her and her husband by grilling some steaks for lunch. My neighbors are constantly together doing things whether it was a superbowl party, summer get togethers, constant birthday parties, progressive dinners, etc. We routinely swap babysitting and will drop off and pick up each other kids. Loan tools or a helping hand when needed.

What surprises me the most is that despite Jacksonville having a million people, we constantly run into people we know. My wife grew up here so she knows a lot more people than I do. The weirdest situation was probably she was once working in the ER and went into a room to do a female exam on the patient and the woman is like we were on the same swim team in 7th grade. It is really random the people we will run into at restaurants, stores, even places that aren't even close to where they live. I grew up in Orlando and went back there after school and lived there for 10 years and almost never saw people I knew. It has been a pleasant surprise about moving to Jax for sure.

 

[Okeechobee Joe]

Even in large cities there are communities. You have your own stores you shop at, restaurants you eat at et.

Small town living can be nice is you have a job and some resources. But it also can be drab, unfulfilling, stagnant, and unhealthy. A lot of small towns are dying. Where there used to local businesses, a local newspaper, local industries things have dwindled to where it seems a lot of the population is on welfare and local mental health services has a steady clientele. Of course, it all depends. If you live in a city and you have some wealth you can get on. The same in a small town. But if you live in poverty then things aren't so good no matter where you live.

This song by Grant Peeples gives another take on idyllic small town country life. And it ain't always pretty.

 

[Gatordiddy]

Well I was born in a small town
And I live in a small town
Probably die in a small town
Oh, those small communities
All my friends are so small town
My parents live in the same small town
My job is so small town
Provides little opportunity
Educated in a small town
Taught the fear of Jesus in a small town
Used to daydream in that small town
Another boring romantic that's me
But I've seen it all in a small town
Had myself a ball in a small town
Married an L.A. doll and brought her to this small town
Now she's small town just like me
No I cannot forget where it is that I come from
I cannot forget the people who love me
Yeah, I can be myself here in this small town
And people let me be just what I want to be
Got nothing against a big town
Still hayseed enough to say
Look who's in the big town
But my bed is in a small town
Oh, and that's good enough for me
Well I was born in a small town
And I can breathe in a small town
Gonna die in this small town
And that's probably where they'll bury me

I prefer the acoustic version...

 

[stephenPE]

I was very fortunate to grow up in Archer Fla in the 60s. Small school where we all knew each other. The three biggest Churches were lined up on (amazingly?) Church Street, like bowling pins. I went to the Presbyterian because our neighbors went there and so did my grandparents down in Lakeland Fla. But the Baptist church had RA's and VBS so we went there for that. Learned my kids favorite PE game at RA's. Steal the Flag. Years later a new preacher came to the Methodist Church and had a youth group we all went to. Great guy. Took me to Fla gym my first time (it was a basketball Mecca in the late 60s) to play pick up games. Some college guys I was playing when I was in 9th grade mistook me for a college student. I was a big boy with skills . But the point is it was a village that had eyes everywhere. DAD knew what nefarious things we had done before he got home from work because there was obviously some network where the old folks in town kept an eye on us young ones............ The joy of being able to ride your bike all over town. Go up to the school and play ball with friends or even ride your bike 3 miles to a great fishing pond made it
idyllic but still exciting for a young boy/man like me. As I got older local farmers would hire us to work in melons, hay and tobacco. Perfect childhood. Except mom being an alcoholic and the aftershocks of that. But it all worked out. The next chapter is how I became a PE teacher in Jr high.

 

[GatorBart]

I grew up in a small town in southern Illinois, and slowly moved my way up to larger and larger college towns, ending up in what feels like a really big college town (Seattle). I don't miss the small town.
Now if I'd grown up in a small Florida town with the beach an hour or less away, I might have a different opinion about small towns.

 

[-THE DUDE-]

I grew up in a small town in southern Illinois, and slowly moved my way up to larger and larger college towns, ending up in what feels like a really big college town (Seattle). I don't miss the small town.
Now if I'd grown up in a small Florida town with the beach an hour or less away, I might have a different opinion about small towns.

What town in Illinois? I grew up in central Illinois near Bloomington- Normal. Very small town and it was nice growing up like that with freedom to do almost anything i wanted and could go anywhere i wanted...just had to check in from time to time. I now live in a smallish but growing suburb of Indy...i liked the small towns and could be happy there but love where I'm at now too.

 

[TLB]

I try to help the guy build our fall festival each year.

I misread that as the "fail festival" and that got me wondering. It seems I'm easily distracted and amused.


===============

I agree with the others it is a mindset. Depends upon the people around you and how folks interact, but it isn't a unique thing to small towns, IMO. I'll concede small towns can foster the mindset easier, there is more of a 'let us all work together' mindset than you'll find in cities simply for the fact in cities you'll have more available and you can 'get it done on your own' as there is always a place to get what you need. But that doesn't kill the opportunity for folks to work together or help one another, there's just more available in cities to where it is less of a necessity to rely on others.

 

[GatorBart]

What town in Illinois? I grew up in central Illinois near Bloomington- Normal. Very small town and it was nice growing up like that with freedom to do almost anything i wanted and could go anywhere i wanted...just had to check in from time to time. I now live in a smallish but growing suburb of Indy...i liked the small towns and could be happy there but love where I'm at now too.

Charleston - home of Eastern Illinois University. I too enjoyed the freedom of riding my bike all over town, going to the town swimming pool, showing up just in time for dinner. Man, how did we ever survive without cell phones and such to keep in touch with people about where we are/were and where we're going next?
I have a good college friend who grew up in Normal - his Dad was at State Farm - funny thing is my buddy ended up at State Farm himself and still lives there.

 

[-THE DUDE-]

Charleston - home of Eastern Illinois University. I too enjoyed the freedom of riding my bike all over town, going to the town swimming pool, showing up just in time for dinner. Man, how did we ever survive without cell phones and such to keep in touch with people about where we are/were and where we're going next?
I have a good college friend who grew up in Normal - his Dad was at State Farm - funny thing is my buddy ended up at State Farm himself and still lives there.

A lot of people in that area are lifers there...i went to ISU and state farm recruited there a lot. I wanted to leave Illinois though...yeah indy isn't far but i like it better. I have a brother that works for state farm and has been moved to Dallas...like a lot of people there. Politics in Illinois are not favorable and wouldn't be surprised if they left someday. They bought up a huge office in Dallas.

 

[stephenPE]

I grew up in a small town in southern Illinois, and slowly moved my way up to larger and larger college towns, ending up in what feels like a really big college town (Seattle). I don't miss the small town.
Now if I'd grown up in a small Florida town with the beach an hour or less away, I might have a different opinion about small towns.

If I had to live in an urban area your place is one I could take. It is beautiful there by Puget Sound and I like the energy of the Seattle Mkt and other stuff, I do NOT like that traffic though.

 

[GatorBart]

A lot of people in that area are lifers there...i went to ISU and state farm recruited there a lot. I wanted to leave Illinois though...yeah indy isn't far but i like it better. I have a brother that works for state farm and has been moved to Dallas...like a lot of people there. Politics in Illinois are not favorable and wouldn't be surprised if they left someday. They bought up a huge office in Dallas.

I lived in Dallas for 2 years after leaving Gville and before moving to Seattle. The food was good and the strip bars were stellar, but that's about the only good things I have to say about Dallas. I did meet two cool people there, and within 3 years of me moving to Seattle, they both ended up moving to Portland.

 

[GatorBart]

If I had to live in an urban area your place is one I could take. It is beautiful there by Puget Sound and I like the energy of the Seattle Mkt and other stuff, I do NOT like that traffic though.

Traffic is about the worst thing in Seattle. You have to know when not to drive around. I used to work downtown, within biking distance of home, so I would ride my bike or take the bus to/from work. I now work too far away from home to do either, so I drive (bought a 97 Civic just to commute back and forth). It only takes me 1/2-hour to get to work if I leave by 7AM, and generally takes me 45 minutes to an hour to get home (worst was 1.5 hours due to weather and accidents).

 

[-THE DUDE-]

I lived in Dallas for 2 years after leaving Gville and before moving to Seattle. The food was good and the strip bars were stellar, but that's about the only good things I have to say about Dallas. I did meet two cool people there, and within 3 years of me moving to Seattle, they both ended up moving to Portland.

I go there for work a lot and the food is fantastic for sure

 

[GatorBart]

I go there for work a lot and the food is fantastic for sure

I gained 20 pounds in 2 years, had to buy bigger pants eventually - and I played ultimate Frisbee at least twice a week!

 

[gardnerwebbgator]

Growing up as a cracker in Palm Harbor in the 70's and 80's was fun, but when it started building up it sucked. Dad had a grapefruit, navel orange, two tangerine, and a mineola tangelo tree in the backyard. All gone now due to the greening crap ravaging the state.

Nothing beats smoked mullet either......

 

[G 2]

I gained 20 pounds in 2 years, had to buy bigger pants eventually - and I played ultimate Frisbee at least twice a week!

Ultimate Frisbee was one of the best things about Orlando. There was a very active league with some great players.

 

[stephenPE]

. Dad had a grapefruit, navel orange, two tangerine, and a mineola tangelo tree in the backyard. All gone now due to the greening crap ravaging the state.

Nothing beats smoked mullet either......

You just referenced my childhood and one of the best parts.............great citrus and smoked mullet. Cedar Key in the 60s was a mecca for it. I swear dozens of houses had that little shed in the back smoking away. You could get a big one done to perfection for about a quarter back then.

 

[GatorBart]

Ultimate Frisbee was one of the best things about Orlando. There was a very active league with some great players.

Huge ultimate community here in Seattle, and the NW for that matter. Some of the best teams in the world (caveat: I was more at the B league level in my prime, but the leagues out here go down to level E for true beginners).
I played until a few years ago until it was determined I had no more cartilage left in my knees. Now I ride my bike to stay in shape - which reminds me, I need to do that more. ;)