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Small towns

At the time of the 2010 census, my hometown had a population of 6,757. Growing up in a small town was nice overall, and there are some definite perks associated with life in a small town:

5. no traffic
     After a year of life in an area that has consistently been ranked as the worst for traffic congestion in the  
     U.S. (Chris had to deal with it much more than I did), I appreciate the lack of traffic in Sidney even more. 
     
4. knowing your neighbors
     And everyone else! Whenever I'm in Sidney, I go to the Coffee Corner (photo below from the   
     Cheyenne County Chamber of Commerce), where I invariably get to see a lot of friendly faces. While it is
     generally positive to see friends and acquaintances all over town, at times it is frustrating--like if you're not
     feeling well and you just want to pick up some cough medicine quickly...and you end up chatting with the 
     pharmacist for half an hour.

3. trust
      Forgot your wallet? Don't have enough cash? No problem. Just come back and pay later. 

2. saving money
     Things are cheaper in small towns--at least the ones in which I've spent the most time. Houses are 
     inexpensive, "going out" is cheap (low-cost drinks and restaurants). It's also a lot harder to spend a lot of 
     money on clothes, shoes, etc. when there is not a mall or a Target...

1. the simple life 
     Day-to-day activities are generally not an ordeal. It is easy to come and go as you like (see number 5). 
     Getting to school or work in the morning and home at the end of the day is pretty simple. There is always
     someone around to help out if necessary, and life is just simpler here than it is in a city. 



Also...a link to the 20 best small towns in the U.S. 
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Location: Sidney, NE 69162, USA

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