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Old 01-29-2014, 02:17 PM
 
1,425 posts, read 1,380,096 times
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Formally, it is a city. Mentally, it's just a big village. Same "founding families" proud of playing in the same dirt that they parents did and not letting any new businesses in their areas of interest. Same people on each nonprofit BOD (for human causes), same demand for compliance with their values. The quantity didn't turn into quality there.
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Old 03-08-2014, 02:19 PM
 
198 posts, read 272,865 times
Reputation: 297
Post Re: Small towns

Don't act arrogant and like you are better than everyone else because you are from the big city...and therefore you know more about culture, fashion, cosmetics, etiquette, etc.

A lot of the small town people are transplants from the big city. Many hold advanced degrees, but just prefer the more relaxed small-town life.

Don't bad mouth the small town for lacking certain stores, not having enough culture, etc. You want to win your way into the hearts of the small-town people by participating in the small-town activities. Every community has a different culture. You need to lie low at first and observe what that culture is...rather than rebelling against it and trying to change it.
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Old 03-08-2014, 03:26 PM
 
Location: UpstateNY
8,612 posts, read 10,714,092 times
Reputation: 7595
You wave when someone does something courteous on the road driving, like waiting for you to get out of your parking spot.
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Old 04-05-2014, 09:23 AM
 
Location: Arizona
3,148 posts, read 2,711,076 times
Reputation: 6060
Quote:
Originally Posted by julian17033 View Post
I lived in Helena Montana from 1994 to 2008.

Don't be surprised or shocked when you have moved from California to anywhere in Montana and people aren't nice to you or automatically roll out the welcome mat.

You are way behind the eight ball and have much to prove to the natives that you are not going to question their way of life, buy large tracts of land and section it off or raise their property taxes exponentially on homes and land they have had in their family for generations to the point to where they have had to sell because they could no longer afford the taxes.

This has happened all over western Montana.

People's memories are very long.

For about six months in 1997 I held a part time job at AAA Mountainwest in Helena.

When new residents that were members would come in for city and county information we gave them a very nice and bulky packet of information welcoming them to the area.

If they had moved from California we would also give them a bright orange sheet of paper with information concerning changing their license plates on their vehicles as soon as possible to avoid vandalism and possible road rage directed at them from residents that perceived them as outsiders and a threat to the areas housing prices and culture.

The look of horror on some of their faces was intense once we explained that this was no joke.
Incidents of of slashed tires and broken car windows on California plated vehicles were quite common in the mid to latter nineties.

With the passage of time much of this has calmed but hasn't disappeared all together has I receive information from many friends throughout the area to keep up on the city that I love.
Those thugs and vandals ought to be ashamed. So much for small town hospitality.
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Old 04-05-2014, 12:43 PM
 
1,344 posts, read 3,390,185 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by tommy64 View Post
Those thugs and vandals ought to be ashamed.
Yes they should! And they should immediately get back in their cars and head back to California.
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Old 04-06-2014, 03:10 AM
 
161 posts, read 171,466 times
Reputation: 155
Quote:
Originally Posted by tommy64 View Post
Those thugs and vandals ought to be ashamed. So much for small town hospitality.
And this is why i avoid small towns, too much closemindedness
Just because someone came from california, doesnt mean they are a bad person.
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Old 04-06-2014, 05:36 AM
 
Location: On the Beach
4,139 posts, read 4,505,466 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Sean-a-thin View Post
Like a lot of people have said, I think the biggest thing is the whole "everybody knows everybody".

Everybody knows what you do for a living, what car you drive, where your house is, your spouse, your kids, your church, the pizza shop you tried to open in 1985. So on and so forth.

But if you are new in town and the townsfolk don't know about you, well, it can get kind of awkward. You can become sort of a mysterious outcast, a Boo Radley, if you will. My family moved here in the early 90s, a year or two before I was born, and I still feel that we are kind of known as "those new people who live out on ______ road"

Small town drama and problems are usually quite petty.

- Somebody parking their car in a way that blocks a view of an intersection

- Fighting between the various volunteer fire departments

- fighting over property and hunting grounds

- tractors damaging roads, cows getting loose

- somebody "showing off" by adding an addition on their house or buying a new car.
Reminds me of a party I attended a few years back. Met a farmer and after taking realized he lived on the same road as my aunt and uncle. When I asked if he knew them he replied they must be "new comers". I replied that, no, they moved there in 1970. To which he replied, "like I said, new comers".
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Old 04-06-2014, 11:32 AM
 
Location: near bears but at least no snakes
26,645 posts, read 28,497,238 times
Reputation: 50458
Try not to criticize anyone until you find out who they're related to.
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Old 04-06-2014, 12:15 PM
 
Location: Venus
5,837 posts, read 5,236,719 times
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I live in a town that has less than 3000 people in it. It has its moments. There are the cliques. Every knows everyone and pretty much knows your business whether you told them or not. Most of the people have been here forever. My husband moved here in 1986 & I moved here in 1998. Even though I have been here for 15 years, I still feel like "the new kid in town." I used to volunteer at the local food shelf but quit. My husband thinks that I was driven out-which he is probably right. They didn't make me feel like I was welcomed there. I wasn't part of the clique.

The local select board that runs the town basically act like big fish in a small pond. There are just so many ways things could be run much better. I have often thought about one of us running but again, we aren't part of the clique and besides, we travel a lot.

My husband & I are somewhat private people. We really don't associate with the people in town-in fact, we have very few friends in this town (but have friends in surrounding towns). We don't belong to any of the churches. I'm sure most of the people here wonder about us. And I wouldn't be a bit surprised if many in this town are envious of us-but that is another issue.

The things I like about this town? The low crime rate. We don't even lock our doors. But, there have been an increase in break-ins. I also like the community events-Spring Fling is my favorite. There are many venders in the park, a parade-that goes right past our house. We usually have a big barbecue on that day. There are also free concerts in the park in the summer. There are other community events throughout the year.

I also like the fact that most things are within walking distance. I don't drive so it is nice that I don't have to totally rely on my husband to get me places. But, for a lot of things, we have to go about 10 miles away. We do have a supermarket that is less than a mile from the house. I also like that there really isn't A LOT of traffic. There is some but come about 8 or 9 at night, most traffic dies down. And the town is fairly quiet.



Cat
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Old 04-06-2014, 02:57 PM
 
4,901 posts, read 8,706,842 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by shadowcatcher View Post
In the small towns I lived in no one would have booed kids.
That wouldn't happen in my small town, either. No way.
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