Growing up in a small town was great. I loved the tight-knit community and the homey atmosphere. But after living in a small town my entire life, I was ready for a change after high school. I decided to go to college on the other side of the country in New York City. Let me tell you, big city life is WAY different than living in a small town! Here’s what I mean…
Driving
Personally, I have never been a big fan of driving, but when you live in a small town, it is a requirement if you ever plan on getting out of the house. In New York City, I would never even consider trying to drive anywhere, and with the public transportation systems, you would never need to. I just hop on the subway or the bus or take a taxi or an Uber, and they get me where I need to be!
Running into People You Know
Living in a small community means I know everyone in it. When I am home in my small town, I can rarely go anywhere without running into people I know. I run into people like my old teachers, the boy I kissed that one night my freshman year of high school, people I used to go to school with but completely forgot about, and a lot of people’s moms. That would never happen in New York. The city is huge and has tons of people, so I never run into people I know.
Crowds
Crowds in New York are a typical, day- to- day thing and are to be expected. The city operates with the crowd because the entire city is basically one giant crowd. In my small hometown, crowds are a huge inconvenience and everyone stresses out over them. I grew up in Lake Tahoe, California which is a gorgeous town that attracts lots of tourists. The Tahoe locals panic every time the town gets flooded with tourists because it makes it extremely difficult to get around or to get anything done.
Big Business
One thing I love about my hometown is the number of small businesses. In New York, I have easy access to every name brand business you can think of. This is great sometimes, but there is something about supporting small, local, hometown businesses that just warms my heart. The experience is always way more personal too.
Living in both a small town and the big city has its ups and downs, but both places are home to me, and I like to think that I have the best of both worlds!