Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
I lived in a small rural town for over five years. There was much I loved about it, but for those who say you mustn't try to change anything, I disagree. I am an animal lover, and could not stand the way folks treated their animals. Dogs were routinely dropped off and would show up at my house, starving skeletons. There was no shelter, animal control, or any recourse for strays. The nearest humane society refused to take animals from my county. Of course very few spayed/neutered their pets, so there was never any shortage of puppies and kittens without homes.
After finding 6 abandoned puppies at the local carwash (in the middle of a horrible heat wave) I approached the little town hall to see if something could be done for them. The mayor was sitting at her desk at the time and so I took the opportunity to offer my services to establish and work at a shelter (on a strictly volunteer basis - no cost to them at all) if the town would provide a spot for it. Not only was that refused, the puppies I told her about ended up on my front lawn a week later, all with parvo. Someone from the town had decided the puppies were mine and I had concocted this elaborate scheme to get rid of them. I already had nine dogs that I rescued and it incensed me that my dogs were jeopardized by this act, not to mention having to deal with the suffering and dying puppies.
On top of that, a coworker told me that strays are often used as target practice, and dogs that didn't perform well while hunting were left behind in the woods to fend for themselves. My pastor told me the way he handled strays was to shoot at them to get them to leave his property. Yikes. I was floored.
So to all those people who live in a small town and absolutely refuse to change, think about what it is you are holding on to. Not all change is bad, and not all practices that you have done for years are necessarily good.
If anyone is thinking about moving to a small town, be aware that there may be some practices that you just can't live with, regardless of how friendly, nice, quiet, peaceful, etc. the small town may be.
We just moved from a town where the unspoken rule is that you saw nothing and know nothing. That you accept that certain laws just aren't enforced and that you don't need to know why.
Location: RI, MA, VT, WI, IL, CA, IN (that one sucked), KY
41,936 posts, read 36,962,945 times
Reputation: 40635
Quote:
Originally Posted by ByeByeLW
I stopped at a hardware store in a small town and over heard one guy tell another that he should've just shot his dog.
Of course I didn't know the whole situation. It could've been a backhanded joke, or maybe the dog attacked somebody.
But it gave me second thoughts.
Hard to know. I don't know many people in rural areas that when it was time for an animal to be put down that they'd pay a vet to do it. They just take the dog/cat out into the back woods and deal with it and save a lot of money.
If you are a "newer" person, bascially meaning you were not born in the town and have several extended relatives in the town and/or go a few generations back, or are family to the owner of some large local business;
Do not get ran into by a drunk driver that is related (a popular relative that is) to one of the town's big three ruling families, then have the nerve to get the county police involved (they are out of the reach of the family influence) because you need the ambulance because you are injured from the wreck, eventually having your spleen removed (not me, someone else).
If you do this, expect to be basically kicked out and ostracized; your kids will start being treated like dirt from school officials and classmates, people you thought you were friends with will stop associating with you, and even vandalism of your property will happen. The cool thing is, people remember it forever as if it happened yesterday.
Which is one of the biggest issues: you moved here because you wanted to and now you want it to turn into what you happily left.
This is a black and white method of thinking. It's the same approach used to criticize immigrants who want to change certain things, without consideration of whether the change could actually be positive.
No place is perfect. Big city or small town. Third world country or USA. There are good and bad things in each of them. There's nothing wrong with trying to improve a place you just moved into. Once you move there and start paying property taxes, you are part of the community immediately.
This is a black and white method of thinking. It's the same approach used to criticize immigrants who want to change certain things, without consideration of whether the change could actually be positive.
No place is perfect. Big city or small town. Third world country or USA. There are good and bad things in each of them. There's nothing wrong with trying to improve a place you just moved into. Once you move there and start paying property taxes, you are part of the community immediately.
OK.
I don't care if you've lived here all your life, where I came from doesn't allow you to park your car on the street so I don't want you to do so here now.
That chain link fence? It needs to be gone.
Why do you need to bring your work truck home? The lettering makes us look cheap. You shouldn't be allowed to park it in town.
Your house is all one color. You have 30 days to change the trim to a contrasting color, even if it is December and paint doesn't really adhere well in the cold. Be sure to run the new color past the Design Committee first. That's the new committee, a lot of us new people are on it.
You know, modern landscape design doesn't really include your native plantings, they have to come out. Here's a list of what's appropriate.
We don't think you need so many cars. Yes we know that there are 4 drivers at your address. Each residence may only have 2 cars parked there now, excess will have to left outside of town somewhere.
Why isn't there a Starbucks here? That diner would be a good location for a Nigerian Fusion restaurant.
Why do all those workmen stop for coffee at the gas station? They scare me. I'm organizing a boycott.
Those farmers need to paint their barns? And why can't they work regular hours? What's that smell?
I SAW A MAN WITH A GUN!!!!! HE WAS WEARING ORANGE.
Dogs running free is acceptable. Don't bother to call the pound. No one cares.
People in cars, will block streets, parking lots, to chat with people they know, don't honk, that is rude.
The bank credits your account the minute you deposit a check! They know you, and your account, they know where you work, and live, eat, and shop, so, they can find you!
If you're seen shoveling snow, a crowd gathers to help
The town newspaper's size is 8 1/2" x 11", one page
There's always red juice and a cookie waiting for you at the Town Council Meeting
"Happy Holidays" is frowned upon at Christmastime.
Fresh vegetables are always found on front porches, all summer long. We share.
The town council consists of a butcher, who's great at cutting fat
The Mayor is the town beautician
If there's a loose manhole cover in front of a house keeping you awake at night, we fix our own.....Set up a barrel, put on a fluorescent orange shirt, and patch the cover with the stuff you buy from Home Depot.
At least 6 neighbors know where the key to your house is hidden
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
