Small Town
I was born in a small town, fell in love in a small town.......sing along when you know the words! Who doesn't like John Cougar (by far his best name)?
In keeping with my Colorado Tumbleweed theme, (I figured I might as well) I'm going to talk about big towns and small towns. Sounds good? Good.
Big towns like - oh, I don't know - say Denver, CO, and small towns like......geez, how about Edwards, CO. Gotta pick something right? They sit a mere 110.30 miles away (according to Mapquest - so who knows if that's true), but culture-wise are further apart than a bastard child and the rest of the family reunion.
But first let's talk about small towns versus big towns in general. You know, the big picture. You gotta look at the big picture. Right? Ok, big towns, hell let's call them cities, are well.....big. Some are really big and some are not so big (I know, my observational skills are impeccable). Denver is big, but not really big. Edwards is small, even bordering on really small. The obvious difference in big towns and small towns is simply the amount of stuff going on. Cities have more restaurants, more bars, more concerts, more sports, more organizations, more schools, and damn-it, more people. Of course, this also brings more crime, more traffic, more ghettos, more drugs, and more crowds. All of which come with more people.
It seems to me that small towns have more families and cities have more single people or married people with no kids or very small kids. If this is true, the only reasoning I can think of is that family folks head to the suburbs for what they believe to be better schools. The public education in cities has been notoriously inferior. Inferior, of course, to the self-proclaimed intellectually elite suburbanites. This actually is probably true. A friend of mine worked in the public school system in Atlanta and said that more time was spent maintaining order in the classroom than teaching and fostering learning (I can apply that scenario to every school in every city in this country right?). It’s a shame really; cities with such vibrancy and functionality are abandoned by family folks for green lawns, white picket fences, SUVs, 45 minute highway commutes, and supposedly better schools.
I can’t tell you how many couples with one kid in a stroller and one hanging on the leg of their mom, I’ve seen in the grocery store or burrito shop. There are even much more of those folks in Edwards than Avon or Vail. I guess that’s because it’s cheaper to live in the down-valley location of Edwards. We Americans love to save money you know. We like it, we love it, and we want some more of it.
Anyway, I guess I need to somehow sum up this piece of literary genius. I would sum it up in one word – variety. Cities have more variety. Good, bad, or indifferent, cities offer more variety. And from what I’ve experienced in my 27 years, people in small towns aren’t as interested in variety as people who live in cities. Small town folks (like John Cougar) like their little part of the world and their little routine. I know, I know, watch the generalizations…..but how else can you make sense of this world. You have to put some kind of order to what you are seeing by making generalizations. Maybe that will be my next blog topic, but for now let’s just hum the melody – Cannot forget from where is that I come from…………..Do Jack and Diane play into this at all?
In keeping with my Colorado Tumbleweed theme, (I figured I might as well) I'm going to talk about big towns and small towns. Sounds good? Good.
Big towns like - oh, I don't know - say Denver, CO, and small towns like......geez, how about Edwards, CO. Gotta pick something right? They sit a mere 110.30 miles away (according to Mapquest - so who knows if that's true), but culture-wise are further apart than a bastard child and the rest of the family reunion.
But first let's talk about small towns versus big towns in general. You know, the big picture. You gotta look at the big picture. Right? Ok, big towns, hell let's call them cities, are well.....big. Some are really big and some are not so big (I know, my observational skills are impeccable). Denver is big, but not really big. Edwards is small, even bordering on really small. The obvious difference in big towns and small towns is simply the amount of stuff going on. Cities have more restaurants, more bars, more concerts, more sports, more organizations, more schools, and damn-it, more people. Of course, this also brings more crime, more traffic, more ghettos, more drugs, and more crowds. All of which come with more people.
It seems to me that small towns have more families and cities have more single people or married people with no kids or very small kids. If this is true, the only reasoning I can think of is that family folks head to the suburbs for what they believe to be better schools. The public education in cities has been notoriously inferior. Inferior, of course, to the self-proclaimed intellectually elite suburbanites. This actually is probably true. A friend of mine worked in the public school system in Atlanta and said that more time was spent maintaining order in the classroom than teaching and fostering learning (I can apply that scenario to every school in every city in this country right?). It’s a shame really; cities with such vibrancy and functionality are abandoned by family folks for green lawns, white picket fences, SUVs, 45 minute highway commutes, and supposedly better schools.
I can’t tell you how many couples with one kid in a stroller and one hanging on the leg of their mom, I’ve seen in the grocery store or burrito shop. There are even much more of those folks in Edwards than Avon or Vail. I guess that’s because it’s cheaper to live in the down-valley location of Edwards. We Americans love to save money you know. We like it, we love it, and we want some more of it.
Anyway, I guess I need to somehow sum up this piece of literary genius. I would sum it up in one word – variety. Cities have more variety. Good, bad, or indifferent, cities offer more variety. And from what I’ve experienced in my 27 years, people in small towns aren’t as interested in variety as people who live in cities. Small town folks (like John Cougar) like their little part of the world and their little routine. I know, I know, watch the generalizations…..but how else can you make sense of this world. You have to put some kind of order to what you are seeing by making generalizations. Maybe that will be my next blog topic, but for now let’s just hum the melody – Cannot forget from where is that I come from…………..Do Jack and Diane play into this at all?
posted by John Poole at 8:18 PM
2 Comments:
I totally agree with what the first two people said.
pURE LITERARY GENIOUS JP. oops, apparently typing a bit of a challenge with thwe jacked up shoulder. maybe we'll cross a Diane tonight at happy hour. I miss my cities too (la and sf), but it's about to get mighty crowded here in a bit. lots of europeans smoking & texans trying to drive in snow - refered to as the ice capades. could be entertaining.
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