Really, really small towns (villages)?

[redduck]

When I fly across the country, I see these very small towns in the middle of what seems to be nowhere--and I've always been curious about these places. I'm not talking about farming communities it Iowa. I'm talking about what seems to be brown mountainous country out towards the west. Maybe 20-50 houses/structures where two roads intersect. (Sometimes, there's just one road, not intersecting with anything). Has anybody here ever lived in a place like I'm describing? If so, can you talk about life in these very small towns? Thanks.

 

[heyyou]

About 1960, while roaming around on Main Street with half a dozen other kids, an adult that I didn't recognize said, "If you don't straighten up, I will call Clyde and Rita." That stranger to me, knew the first names of both of my parents who had lived there for all of their adult lives.

While working in a similar small town, I saw Debbie speeding way over the limit about 10 am. Later that day, where she worked, I sugggested that Dennis the highway patrolman would ticket her if he saw that. She replied that Dennis didn't start his shift until 10:30 and that it was Tuesday, his day off.

That town's school covered K through 8th grade. The total enrollment was under 50 students. That is 5 or 6 kids per grade.

Pie Town, New Mexico has a cafe and convenience store with gas pumps in the same building. That is the whole commercial district. A study about jobs for rural areas, showed that a community store needs 250 residents to support it.

On the highway near small communities, you wave when you meet a car since you recognize who it is from their vehicle.

Have you heard about the community so small that they didn't have a town drunk? They had to take turns being it.

 

[bssc]

Just came back from my wife's small town in Montana near the Sweetgrass Hills and Bear Paw Mountains. 200 people. Nearest grocery store is 20 miles away. Nearest Starbucks is 110. The people there keep themselves busy, which is a lot easier now that they have satellite TV and internet.

 

[redduck]

Thanks for the replies. I was becoming concerned that I might not be getting any. And, not to be or sound rude, but why do people live in these very small towns?

 

[Moemg]

I grew up in Frackville ,Pa. Think Mayberry ! As a kid it was great ,you could ride your bike all over the town and your parents didn't worry .Nobody drove their kids to baseball ,music lessons , dancing ,scouts ,we all rode our bikes their .Crime ,what crime ? I can't think of a better place to grow up .
My Dad grew up in Mahanoy Plane ,Pa. Two streets ,one church ,two bars now that's tiny .

 

[Ed_The_Gypsy]

redduck,

I don't like small towns. You may not like someone and they may not like you and you can't get away from them. They may be run for the convenience of the local sheriff or mayor or their families. My experience comes from small towns in Balkanized suburban Chicago such as McCook. Central Ohio gave me the same feeling. Another data point was working in the Bible Belt of eastern Tennessee. I have a number of anecdotes about religious/cultural incompatibilities I have seen. If a lot of people don't live there, there may be a reason for it.

Beware.

 

[Khan]

When I fly across the country, I see these very small towns in the middle of what seems to be nowhere--and I've always been curious about these places. I'm not talking about farming communities it Iowa. I'm talking about what seems to be brown mountainous country out towards the west. Maybe 20-50 houses/structures where two roads intersect. (Sometimes, there's just one road, not intersecting with anything). Has anybody here ever lived in a place like I'm describing? If so, can you talk about life in these very small towns? Thanks.

From what I've read, a fair number of those remote settlements are polygamous clans.

 

[Ed_The_Gypsy]

From what I've read, a fair number of those remote settlements are polygamous clans.

I dunno, but inbreeding would explain some of the ugly kids in one little town in Ohio!

 

[donheff]

I grew up in Frackville ,Pa. Think Mayberry ! As a kid it was great ,you could ride your bike all over the town and your parents didn't worry .Nobody drove their kids to baseball ,music lessons , dancing ,scouts ,we all rode our bikes their .

That part sounds like the south side of Chicago when I was a kid in the 50s.

 

[haha]

I don't like small towns, or suburbs either. Growing up I was in city, or during the summer before my Grandad died, on a farm. That is really ideal, but hard to get.

Starting when I was 10 or 11 we'd jump on a streetcar! and head downtown and disappear from control. My buddy had movie passes- sometimes we'd see three or more on a saturday afternoon.

Today, we'd likely all be dead.

Ha

 

[playaman]

My brother lives in a rural community of about 100 persons in Southwest Arkansas. He thinks it's heaven. I think it's anything but ...

Yes, everyone has satellite TV but "kicks" come from fishing, rodeoing, hunting and church meetings every Sunday (mornings and evenings) and every Wednesday (evenings only). Most folks garden too. And, everyone gossips about everyone else.

People reared in small-town cultures love it. I'll take a city (or even a suburb of a city) any day.

 

[laurence]

A while ago I posted about my Uncle in small town Wisconsin. He visited us here in big city San Diego, and he wanted to take a picture of the I15 South because he had never seen so many cars in one place before. I think some people daydream about moving to a small town, not realizing what a difficult time it can be for their kids growing up there. Small towns seem to work fine for 90% of the residents who "fit in". The 10% who don't have enough people like them for critical mass of a social life ( Computer geek, Gay, whatever), not so much. I don't think I could do much smaller than Colorado Springs. Heck, even Big Bear Lake where my parents own a cabin is too small townish for me to handle for long, and it's practically a suburb of L.A. at this point.

 

[Nords]

Small towns seem to work fine for 90% of the residents who "fit in"...

... especially the employed residents.

It's a lot easier to live in a small town when you bring your own job, or don't need one in the first place.

 

[HFWR]

I prefer the easy going, slower pace of small town life.

That said, I prefer having the anonymity of city life. And, also, I like having more choices for dining out than Dairy Queen, and more to do than high school sports and church...

 

[youbet]

That part sounds like the south side of Chicago when I was a kid in the 50s.

Yep, I had the same experience growing up on the northwest side of Chicago during the same time period.

Many of the "small town" attributes being described are the same as those I experienced growing up in an urban "neighborhood" of a major city.

 

[citrine]

I love those cute little two street towns.....but since I am indian....I would stick out like a sore thumb.

 

[Dawg52]

I live in a smallest town of 40k. Not as small as being described here but not certainly small compared to Chicago or some other large city. Just about the right size as far as I'm concerned. More going on than just church gatherings and going to a movie. Also not far from larger cities such as Birmingham AL, Jackson MS, and just 2 1/2 hours from the Gulf Coast.

Certainly not for everyone but not ok for me. I would consider moving someday though. Love the rocky mountains.

 

[haha]

I love those cute little two street towns.....but since I am indian....I would stick out like a sore thumb.

Not to worry, Citrine. There would be at least one other Indian family there. Named Patel and running the local motel. Their daughter would be valedictorian of the high school.

Ha

 

[Rustic23]

I would say we live in something smaller than a small town. The subdivision seems to have 50 or so permanent residents. We are 15 miles to the closest gas station or grocery store.

Why do we like it? We know our neighbors. You can leave you house unlocked. There is a lake, golf course, and club. No smog. Quiet. Clean. Major shopping is about 1 hours away. Symphony, Opera, Zoo, Theater, NFL, MLB, Pro Basket Ball, Hockey, Soccer, three major universities, less than 1.5 hours away.

 

[bssc]

I love those cute little two street towns.....but since I am indian....I would stick out like a sore thumb.

We went to a small town in NM named Socorro. The mayor is of Indian descent. His name is Ravi Bhasker.

In my wife's family in small town Montana, there is one Vietnamese cousin and one Filipina cousin.

 

[Sheryl]

I dunno, but inbreeding would explain some of the ugly kids in one little town in Ohio!

Hey! I resemble that!

 

[citrine]

Those darn Patels...they are just everywhere!
I went to North Carolina in my early 20's....about 10 years ago and just remember getting a lot of strange looks. This cute little boy in the Piggly Wiggly asked me if I was always tanned!

 

[farmerEd]

I live in a small town...less than 800 people, or about 200 households. I prefer it this way, though if I didn't work for myself (when I was employed), good paying jobs would be hard to come by unless you were willing to do a long commute (early on I had a 1hr 45min commute each way and it was a big motivation to be self employed).

I wouldn't raise kids any other way(currently have 4 under 11), but later in life I could see the benefit of perhaps living closer to "things" though its unlikely that I would ever sell the place(farm) I have now unless forced to.

 

[Dawg52]

Not to worry, Citrine. There would be at least one other Indian family there. Named Patel and running the local motel. Their daughter would be valedictorian of the high school.

Ha

How true! My old company sold products to several motels in various towns in MS and almost all were managed by a Patel. I kid you not.

 

[kumquat]

I think I live in a city of 250,000, but judging by some posts maybe it's a small town. Having grown up on a farm 2 miles from our nearest neighbour and 6 miles from a village of 150 (people, not thousand) I find my city as large as I want.

And to answer questions posed in other threads:

1: http://www.early-retirement.org/forums/f27/anybody-remember-party-line-telephones-29708.htmlYes, partyline on our farm ended in 1973.

2: http://www.early-retirement.org/forums/f27/did-daddy-ever-buy-you-a-pony-29705.html
No, but his mare produced a foal for each of us. We were expected to use it to check the crops/cattle/general transportation. Oh, we also had to look after the stock.

Interesting the differences in life experience that RE's have based on place of birth.