Small Town Vs. Big City

Where I Come From

Growing up in St. Charles, MO makes me feel like I have experience with both urban and rural life. It wasn't too far of a drive to get into the big city (St. Louis) with all of the skyscrapers, museums, unique restaurants, and crowds of people. It also wasn't too far of a drive to get out to the countryside with all the farmland, woodland trails, mom and pop shops, and limited sightings of other people.

Being in the suburbs itself made me feel like I lived in a pretty big town anyway because it wasn't too far of a drive to find something fun or interesting to do around town and there was a small chance of running into people I knew, but there were still plenty of people around that I didn't know.

The Small Town Experience

Out here in the Northwest, there are far more small towns than there are big cities. Towns are few and far between on the highway (in comparison to a drive like St. Louis to Tulsa) and most of the places we stop in are the kind of country rural places I described earlier.

Seattle has been the only place I would consider as a big city out here. Even large towns like Missoula or Bozeman or Yakima or Couer d'Alene, ID can only compare to a town like Springfield or Columbia, MO, which both have a large population and are spread-out towns but they cannot compare in size and scope to St. Louis or Kansas City.

Here's an example of the type of small town I've come to get used to out here: Ashland, MT. It is in every sense of the words a 'small town'. The main street is only a few blocks long. There are no chain restaurants around (I don't even think I saw a grocery store), but instead there are only a few local food places. Usually my team gets food from The Hitching Post, a little diner that seats about forty people at most. The service is friendly and wonderful, but it's also incredibly slow paced compared to what I'm used to at restaurants.

There is also a place in town called Michelle's Munchies, where a customer cannot only purchase delicious desserts (and even food like burgers or pizza), but also they can rent or purchase a variety of DVDs that line the shelves. I'm telling you this town would be much harder to find on the map if it weren't for St. Labre Indian School.

Even Yakima itself is a small suburb. Sure there are a variety of places to shop at and eat at around town. Yet, there is only one museum in town. There is only one movie theater around here and it does not show the small, artsy films like Wes Anderson's "The Grand Budapest Hotel" or Hayao Miyazaki's "The Wind Rises". It's not too far of a drive to find a good hiking trail outside of town or get out in the sagebrush desert here. This town as all of amenities of the suburbs I grew up with, except for the ability to find all of the unique, artistic venues I could find back in my home area.

Where to Go in the Future?

Yet, what is my point in all of this. Well, sometimes I like to think about the kind of place I'd like to settle down. This is not necessarily something I daydream about, but it's something I consider when I try to ponder my future career and my future personal life.

If theatre is going to be my world of business, then I would need to live someplace where I have the best odds of constantly either finding employment or creating employment opportunities for theatrical productions based on the audience I'm trying to reach. I also want to live somewhere that allows me to grow in my Catholic faith, to share that faith with other people, and to be a part of a Catholic community with people my own age. I also want to find my future wife and live somewhere we can raise children in a good environment.

I do not necessarily want to live in a small town because my options for EVERYTHING (work, food, dating, etc.) would be much more limited, but on the other hand the opportunity to experience nature and do more outdoorsy things would be much greater compared to urban life.

I do not necessarily want to live in a big city because it would get very crowded, life would be at a much more intense and quick pace, and I would probably spend much more money on unnecessary items, but on the other hand the options of where to eat, who to mingle with, where to work, etc. would be much greater compared to small town life.

The Ideal Location

I think the ideal area that I would like to settle down in would be around Sevierville, TN in the Great Smoky Mountains. I came to know this location after several family trips to the Smokies, which is not only a place my Dad loves but is also a place with personal family ties.

All of the towns around Sevierville are definitely small towns, though they have expanded over the years thanks to tourism to the Smokies and to tourist towns like Pigeon Forge and Gatlinburg. It's not too far of a drive to Knoxville, the big city of the area, but it's also not too far of a drive to get lost in the mountains. It's a great place to go hiking (or do anything outdoorsy) and it's also a great place to find unique shops and restaurants.

Pigeon Forge and Gatlinburg would have plenty of opportunities to work in the theatre, though I could expand my options to Knoxville or other nearby towns. There are a few Catholic parishes in the area, though I imagine that this part of the country is heavily Protestant, so not only could I be anchored in a Catholic church, but also I could reach out to other Christian peoples in the area. Where I live could be nice, quiet, and isolated, but where I work could be busy with tourist crowds so I wouldn't feel like I'm too far away from civilization.

So, who knows where I will end up in life? All I know is that there are good things about small towns just as there are good things about big cities. I grew up getting to experience both and I can only hope to live somewhere that I can continue to experience both and let my future children experience as well.