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You know you're in a small town when . . .
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<blockquote data-quote="KTMom91" data-source="post: 719426" data-attributes="member: 4040"><p>As I was growing up, we moved every year whether we needed to or not. Consequently, that simple, little question, "Where are you from?" has always filled me with dread. I usually answer, "I went to high school here in C." My mom grew up in a small town, where everyone knew her mom was a teacher and her dad owned the gas station downtown. </p><p></p><p>Because I wanted Miss KT to be able to start AND finish school in the same town, I changed careers, and settled in here in the OTC. That kid knew everybody. Some from school, some from sports, some from karate, some from church, some from the summer program, some from band, some from her high school ROP classes, some from her grandfather's lodge buddies and their families...whenever we went to farmer's market or a street fair, we'd wonder how many people she'd stop and talk to. A lot. The principal of her elementary school was a student in the high school biology course her grandfather taught. </p><p></p><p>There's history here. My house was built in 1924. The other houses in the neighborhood are, for the most part, 1930's and 40's era. The first high school in town is still in use, not by the district, but by adult education. The second high school is the junior high now. The "new" high school, opened in 1969, and was out in the middle of NOWHERE at that time. Though we're no longer a small town by the numbers(over 100,000 residents), we have a strong downtown area, and many of those original families are still here. </p><p></p><p>You know you're in a small town when you know people more than just in passing, you know the family and what area of town they're in, when the history of the town is held up and honored, when you still go to the parade even though your kid hasn't marched since 2008, when you feel comfortable with just your screen door between you and the great outdoors, when you still ask about the scores even though your kid graduated in 2009 and you don't like football anyway, when you eat at the local coffee shops instead of IHOP, when there's a guy about half a mile away who has a herd of deer (keep in mind, I'm in the middle of town) and every fall he advertises venison for sale. The kids walk home from school singing or practicing their clarinets or flutes. </p><p></p><p>You're in a small town when you hear one neighbor screaming at his TV during a football game, then see the guys come out and play football in the street during halftime, when the guy down the street is racing remote control cars with his son, when someone is almost always mowing or edging or painting trim or working on a car, where the kids run by with basketballs or frisbees towards the school (a block and a half away), where I can hear the rallies and jog-a-thons and the carnival, and on Friday nights, I hear the cannon go off from the stadium, signifying we scored.</p><p></p><p>I really didn't mean to write an entire chapter. But once I started thinking about it, I realized I'm in a small town. I like it. I fought being here almost as soon as we landed when I was in the fourth grade. I wanted to go back to the Bay Area, and as an adult, I did, for several years, until I realized the punishing commute and the crippling hours I was working left me no time to see my newborn daughter. I love San Francisco with every fiber of my being, but now, I'm from the OTC.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="KTMom91, post: 719426, member: 4040"] As I was growing up, we moved every year whether we needed to or not. Consequently, that simple, little question, "Where are you from?" has always filled me with dread. I usually answer, "I went to high school here in C." My mom grew up in a small town, where everyone knew her mom was a teacher and her dad owned the gas station downtown. Because I wanted Miss KT to be able to start AND finish school in the same town, I changed careers, and settled in here in the OTC. That kid knew everybody. Some from school, some from sports, some from karate, some from church, some from the summer program, some from band, some from her high school ROP classes, some from her grandfather's lodge buddies and their families...whenever we went to farmer's market or a street fair, we'd wonder how many people she'd stop and talk to. A lot. The principal of her elementary school was a student in the high school biology course her grandfather taught. There's history here. My house was built in 1924. The other houses in the neighborhood are, for the most part, 1930's and 40's era. The first high school in town is still in use, not by the district, but by adult education. The second high school is the junior high now. The "new" high school, opened in 1969, and was out in the middle of NOWHERE at that time. Though we're no longer a small town by the numbers(over 100,000 residents), we have a strong downtown area, and many of those original families are still here. You know you're in a small town when you know people more than just in passing, you know the family and what area of town they're in, when the history of the town is held up and honored, when you still go to the parade even though your kid hasn't marched since 2008, when you feel comfortable with just your screen door between you and the great outdoors, when you still ask about the scores even though your kid graduated in 2009 and you don't like football anyway, when you eat at the local coffee shops instead of IHOP, when there's a guy about half a mile away who has a herd of deer (keep in mind, I'm in the middle of town) and every fall he advertises venison for sale. The kids walk home from school singing or practicing their clarinets or flutes. You're in a small town when you hear one neighbor screaming at his TV during a football game, then see the guys come out and play football in the street during halftime, when the guy down the street is racing remote control cars with his son, when someone is almost always mowing or edging or painting trim or working on a car, where the kids run by with basketballs or frisbees towards the school (a block and a half away), where I can hear the rallies and jog-a-thons and the carnival, and on Friday nights, I hear the cannon go off from the stadium, signifying we scored. I really didn't mean to write an entire chapter. But once I started thinking about it, I realized I'm in a small town. I like it. I fought being here almost as soon as we landed when I was in the fourth grade. I wanted to go back to the Bay Area, and as an adult, I did, for several years, until I realized the punishing commute and the crippling hours I was working left me no time to see my newborn daughter. I love San Francisco with every fiber of my being, but now, I'm from the OTC. [/QUOTE]
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