10 Reasons Why Small Town Kentucky Is Actually The Best Place To Grow Up
By Jenn Shockley|Published November 15, 2015
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Jenn Shockley
Author
I am somewhat a cliche'. I grew up running around barefoot on a farm in Kentucky.
I love writing, art, sunshine, all animals and my incredibly patient husband, who tolerates my "crazy animal lady" side.
All Kentuckians have different experiences during our childhood. Living conditions and the environment both have a big effect on us and our ability to mature into adulthood. There is a very big difference when it comes to growing up in a big city compared to a small town. Personally, I was reared in a very small community on the outskirts of what was once a very rural county. There were only five homes, all of which were small farms on our street (and it was several miles long.) The town itself has since expanded a bit, but it is still tiny in comparison to places such as Louisville, Lexington and Bowling Green.
Here are 10 reasons why a small town in Kentucky is the best place to grow up:
Small communities tend to have a stronger sense of being an actual community. Community outreach programs exist. However, many times they consist of neighbors contributing their time and energy into whatever the problem is without a bunch of red tape or government assistance.
People wave, bring food after someone passes, cut one another’s grass if there is sickness, and actually check on a missing neighbor who is normally seen. Country folk know their neighbors well enough to notice if something is wrong. Not saying this never happens in big cities, but likely nowhere near as often.
Growing up in a small community teaches us to automatically be more considerate of others. If your pigs get out and run amuck through the neighbor’s yard, you help to fix it, or at the very least share some of the meat. When the community is small, word gets around and being unkind or mean to others is quickly recognized.
Small town parents tend to not worry as much about negative publicity and will normally discipline a misbehaving child regardless of current location. Just as an example, by the age of three I knew to sit in my seat when in a restaurant or public place and mind my manners. I’ve noticed in bigger cities it is not unusual to have a child running around the restaurant squealing and annoying others. This would never have flown in my old community, and especially not in our home. Why? Well, everyone would know that person’s child showed bad behavior.
Our classes were a lot smaller than those in the big city. My graduating class was less than 100 people, and our average class size was around 12-20, depending on the subject. Those were examples of my smallest and largest class. This allowed our teachers to be more active in our education on an individualized basis.
In a more rural setting, circles of friends tend to literally grow up together. We went to the same swimming holes, diners, parks, and often shared a mutual love for the same activities.
Small towns tend to have an abundance of gardeners. This is a life saving skill as kids in bigger cities are not often taught the art of growing vegetables properly. If you can grow a few root vegetables and tomatoes, you can survive and eat healthy. The image shows a vintage plow, but I’ve seen farmers prepare gardens by hand and tool, plow and horse and tractor. All take diligence and wisdom.
Those are not uncommon words in a small town. In most cases, everyone knows everyone else, at least by association. Think scenarios like, "Oh, that is the Reid’s youngest from down in the Holler.
Most of us who grew up in my old community had responsibilities, even as children. We fed the animals, helped bail hay, swept leaves, spread seed, picked vegetables, or whatever our parent’s required of us. We also got to appreciate the air and sunshine on a daily basis, as our surroundings were forests and farms.
Smaller communities tend to teach their kids basic survival skills. I was taught how to hunt, fish and survive if ever lost in the woods. Of course, my Dad was also a Marine, but the point is, he made sure I would make it if ever I found myself wandering in our beautiful Kentucky woodlands, or another rural place.
Just to be clear, this is about opinions, as others may have had less pleasant experiences in their youth. It all depends on the person, place and parents. Overall, I am grateful to have grown up in a tiny country community in a rural town. I was blessed with waking up every day surrounded by our beautiful Kentucky woodlands and farmlands. On our ride to school, we passed corn fields and pastures, not subdivisions. Now that life is a memory, but a fond one. What do you think are the benefits of growing up in a small town or county?
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