I guess it's true that not all small towns are the same. You can have a town of barely 15k that's well-connected and diverse and bustling, that practically invites you in, and you can have a town of up to 100k that's a sleepy glorified residential subdivision.
Sometimes there's an advantage to living in a place where everyone has a commonality of location, as opposed to a metropolis where some can live completely sequestered away, with everyone else out of sight and out of mind. In small- to mid-size towns, you have practical, situational ties with the other residents even if you have nothing else in common with them. And therein lies a potential for impact. In the big city, nobody gives a shit about you, the show will go on just fine with or without you.
Another aspect is that people make friends in their workplaces. This has always been true everywhere, but in this age of increased isolation and especially in towns with less civic engagement, it is common to see friend groups firmly delineated by place of employment. In jobs where I have worked, usually there's maybe 10% of employees that are progressive enough for me to really call friends. Sometimes they leave before I can get a good readout though.
If you want to PM me, I'd be happy to exchange details and stories and tips and tricks around finding and building community in more rural places.
I guess it's true that not all small towns are the same. You can have a town of barely 15k that's well-connected and diverse and bustling, that practically invites you in, and you can have a town of up to 100k that's a sleepy glorified residential subdivision.
Sometimes there's an advantage to living in a place where everyone has a commonality of location, as opposed to a metropolis where some can live completely sequestered away, with everyone else out of sight and out of mind. In small- to mid-size towns, you have practical, situational ties with the other residents even if you have nothing else in common with them. And therein lies a potential for impact. In the big city, nobody gives a shit about you, the show will go on just fine with or without you.
Another aspect is that people make friends in their workplaces. This has always been true everywhere, but in this age of increased isolation and especially in towns with less civic engagement, it is common to see friend groups firmly delineated by place of employment. In jobs where I have worked, usually there's maybe 10% of employees that are progressive enough for me to really call friends. Sometimes they leave before I can get a good readout though.
If you want to PM me, I'd be happy to exchange details and stories and tips and tricks around finding and building community in more rural places.