What size is a "small town" to you?

TNHermit · #41 06/20/12, 07:04 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Freya

Is that where you live or what you consider small?

Its where i was born and raised. And consider small. good German heritage. I will have to say on Loyalty day weekend there could be 20,000 there. They would bring in a couple of open bed semi trailers to pick up the empty beer cups

4nTN · #42 06/20/12, 07:38 AM

They say the town I`m in now has 744 population! I can`t hardly believe it though.They must all be hiding in a "holler"!
I moved here from a town called New York City (population 18.9 million)
I moved there from a town in Colorado (population 355)

Closest walmart is 45 minutes away ( I like it that way)

ronbre · #43 06/20/12, 10:00 AM

our town has NO grocery store other than a few tiny mini marts, no chain stores at all besides a Shell gas station (the only gas station left in a town that used to have 4 of them) ..no lumber store..a tiny hardware. Used to have a bakery but all are gone. A couple small restaurants and lots and lots of churches

Heritagefarm · #44 06/20/12, 10:16 AM

I consider it a small town if everyone knows each other, and if you walk in everyone says, "Ya'll ain't frohm around heere, are yah?" Or if you buy someone's truck and for the next month have to assure everyone that you HAVE NOT stolen Aunt Ethels old Ford!
I'd like to live closer to a larger city. Above 12k seems about right for marketing products, but 100k would be an absolute haven for marketing and growth potential. The closer you are, the more convenient it is, and the more chance you are actually going to succeed.

stanb999 · #45 06/20/12, 10:57 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rickfrosty

Few towns in ME have more than one zip - the entire state has only the 207 area code.

What if you have 3 zip codes and still no town? Yeah, we have three post offices in this township of 1000. But I am served with home delivery from the next county over.

Pugnacious · #46 06/20/12, 11:10 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 4nTN

I moved here from a town called New York City (population 18.9 million)

Close. You're only off by like 10 million people. haha

4nTN · #47 06/20/12, 12:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pugnacious

Close. You're only off by like 10 million people. haha

Oooops..your right.edited to add... new york state!

michiganfarmer · #48 06/20/12, 01:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by NorthCountryWd

...that's about 100 maple taps per person.

LOVE IT! lol

michiganfarmer · #49 06/20/12, 01:39 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by wogglebug

Well, technically, a town is self-governing - a local government or council.
A village is not self-governing, but does have public buildings - a village hall, or a school.
A hamlet is a collection of houses, maybe even shops or inns, but has no publicly-owned buildings.

.

THe village that I live near is incorporated as a village, has an elected mayor, and board members

michiganfarmer · #50 06/20/12, 01:49 PM

nothing with overpasses... I guess

fordy · #51 06/20/12, 05:35 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Freya

What kind of population (or area) is a small town to you?

..............My idea of a "small town" is one where , both city limits signs are mounted , back to back , on the same pole ! , fordy

gila_dog · #52 06/20/12, 06:10 PM

If you screw up somehow, or have a heart attack, or buy a new truck, or get arrested, or flirt with a woman who isn't your wife, and everybody in town knows about it within 24 hours, then you live in a small town.

Billie in MO · #53 06/21/12, 02:40 PM

I grew up in a small village (pop.140) It was 5 streets wide and 3 streets deep. Dirt and gravels road. We had a church, a post office, and a small mom/pop store (milk/bread/candy/ice cream, general meeting place to get all the gossip). We had a park with swings and a hill for sledding. And a city hall building. Village was unincorporated. Still is but they now have a mayor, board members and a water dept. And an increase in population to around 500 (only because farm land was sold at the back edge to build an apartment complex and a trailer park, double ugh!) Church is still there and the mom/pop store became a convenience store with gas pumps. Post office is gone.

Back in the day this little village was a thriving place with a bank, post office, beauty shop, garage repair shop, train depot and even a shoot out with Bonnie and Clyde just a mile away.

I went to school in another town (pop.2000). That was a big town to me then. Still is. I still live in the area but outside of a town with a population of 1600. Most of the small towns around here are around 200-450. A few are just a collection of houses. Bill was in the AF and I have had to live in some pretty big cities.....they were not for this country girl but it took 35 years to get back here!!

Classof66 · #54 06/21/12, 03:25 PM

My S/O came from a small town near West Plains.( In fact I am at this moment running his mothers fan that says AIDS Hardware on the box.). West Plains was always the trading center for that area. It would make sense to build a Walmart there, as there is nothing else for miles. WP has many franchises, Colton's Steak, Ryans Steakhouse, Aldi, Motels, and I think it still has a JC Penny. I don't consider this a small town at all.

By the way, Porter Wagoner, Jan Howard, and Preacher Roe all came from there.

I grew up in a town of 350, which had nearly every service a person would ever need, except a drug store. The town is over 1100 now, and almost every business and service is gone. There is a bank, nice cafe, 2 gas stations, 2 pizza places, a good sized school, and grain elevators, along with a garage, and the usual small service businesses. No grocery anymore.

On a trip downstate last week, I ran a red light in a very small town, with absolutely no business district. Probably 500 population. Can't imagine why they even had one. Nobody around, thank God.

hippygirl · #55 06/21/12, 03:38 PM

Well, this thread made me look up Phenix City's population and it's not as large as I thought...a little under 30k.

On the other hand, the population of Columbus GA (right across the river), is almost 190k...MUCH larger than I thought.

Fortunately, I live quite a ways from either, so the nearest wide place in the road to me has only 3k with a small grocery, couple of gas stations, a dollar store, VFD, small garage, and 3 churches (Baptist, Methodist, and a CME).

Classof66 · #56 06/21/12, 03:41 PM

On my trip in west central Illinois last week, I visited several small towns, with boarded up churches or churches converted into something else. In one small town, I would venture 1/3 of the houses were abandoned. Lots of the little towns had nice little parks with nice playground equipment. Given it was hot, I did not see a soul in any of them.
Lots of resale shops, not so many retail. Not a lot of grocery stores, and saw a few that looked like recent closures. One town had an abandoned 60's type grade school that kids keep setting on fire. This was the purpose of my trip, to visit rural towns. It is so sad to see the churches, schools and buildings, once someone's pride, sitting delapitated. It will never come back either.

Freya · #57 06/21/12, 04:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Classof66

My S/O came from a small town near West Plains.( In fact I am at this moment running his mothers fan that says AIDS Hardware on the box.).

Downtown Antiques

Classof66 · #58 06/21/12, 05:48 PM

Yep. Quite a place.

I bought some quilt blocks there.

jwal10 · #59 06/21/12, 06:16 PM

About 800 people, 1 stop sign, only if turning left at the Y, right turn without stopping. 2 pioneers, each started a town, 1 N of the river and 1 S of the river, each had a main st, so we now have a North Main St. and a South Main St. A market/junk shop, 1 tavern, 5 churches, 2 schools, a fire hall/community center, city hall, a bakery, a second hand store and the post office....James

mekasmom · #60 06/21/12, 06:47 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Freya

What kind of population (or area) is a small town to you?

Small to me is less than 1500.
To some people less than 5000 is small.