Moving from a village or a small town to a bustling city often brings significant changes, but it also means carrying with you the unique qualities and habits shaped by your early environment. The experiences and values instilled in a close-knit community can continue to influence your perspective and behavior, even amidst the fast pace of urban life. Here are 19 traits that people often retain when they transition from small-town living to the big city.
Has a Sense of Community
As you’re more likely to encounter someone you know when living in a small town, a person may have a stronger sense of community. This is supported by Parrys who says “One of the many benefits of living in a small town is the sense of community you can find there.” Plus, there’s a greater likelihood of being friendly with the neighbors.
Patience With Rural Living
Slow-moving vehicles such as tractors don’t annoy anyone from a small town, they know this is just a way of life. They can adapt to any kind of agricultural inconvenience. Rural life has a slower pace and a person has no problem adapting to this. If anything, it means life feels more relaxed.
Being Self-Sufficient
This can mean being more independent than the average person, but it can also mean being self-sufficient in the home. For example, growing produce such as fruit and veg or being able to carry out DIY tasks such as painting. It can also mean a more creative way of solving problems as a self-sufficient person won’t like asking for help.
Supporting Local Businesses
Someone from a small town is more likely to choose local businesses compared to chain companies. This might be a local coffee shop or even purchasing from small online businesses. IdeaPop backs this up by writing “People are more used to buying from a local grocer than a supermarket.”
Family-Oriented
Growing up in a small town can mean having strong family bonds. A person may be closer to their siblings or cousins. They also have smaller friendship circles and these will only consist of people a person completely trusts. Being this close to friends means a person from a small town may even class them as extended family.
Simple Transportation Needs
A person from a small town may be less reliant on public transport and instead prefer to walk or bike to most places. There are fewer public transport links in small towns and this can make buses and trains unreliable. Some may even opt for horses as their favorite mode of transport.
Direct Communication
Coming from a small town may mean that a person is more likely to be direct with how they are feeling. People from small towns are also more likely to talk to each other which builds confidence. For example, ScienceDirect says “In suburbs and small towns, people are more likely to talk to each other.”
Are Less Discriminatory
Those from a small town are less likely to judge someone based on what they’re wearing or what type of car they drive. A small town person will focus on functionality rather than style. They don’t care so much for material possessions and prefer to judge a person on their character.
Traditional Entertainment Choices
A person may have simpler entertainment choices such as a fast food dinner. Even a trip to a shopping center can be seen as entertainment as they’re often not close to small towns. Someone from a small town is less likely to care about fancy dinners or being taken anywhere too expensive.
Trust Concerns
Coming from a small town may mean that there’s less trust when it comes to divulging personal information to someone. This person is more likely to hate gossip as it shows a person can’t be trusted. Small town folk will prefer a small circle of close friends where they don’t have to worry about their secrets being spread.
Great Navigational Skills
Map reading skills are going to be at an all-time high for anyone coming from a small town. For example, The Guardian states “People who grew up in the country have a better sense of direction and navigational skills than those raised in cities.” They can give directions based on local landmarks and know more history regarding their town.
A Sense of Pride
There’s a strong sense of hometown pride for anyone from a small town. Tyler Star News touches on this by writing “You want to see the town look good and you want visitors to leave saying good things about it.” A person may even become defensive if city folk make fun of negative small town traits.
Long-Lasting School Friendships
It’s common for anyone coming from a small town to have long-lasting friendships with people they met at school. A person could meet someone in kindergarten and still be best friends with them thirty years later. As well as this, small town folk may still remember everyone that they went to school with.
Practicality
A person may have to learn to become more practical coming from a small town. This is because resources may be limited, so small town folk need to work with only what they have. This means that practical skills may be learnt from a young age, helping them to have a better grasp of everyday challenges.
Appreciation for Nature
Those from a smaller town have a closer connection with nature. They prefer outdoor activities and spending time in rural landscapes. With nature on their doorsteps, it’s hard to not appreciate it, especially when it’s considered beneficial to health. Nature supports this by writing “Spending time in natural environments can benefit health and wellbeing.”
Loves Local Traditions
As a person has less exposure to other cultures and traditions that come from cities, it makes them love their town’s even more. This means they will also have stronger adherence to local traditions, becoming excited when local carnivals or festivals come around each year.
Community Involvement
Coming from a small town means actively participating in town events, which may sometimes be voluntary and other times not so much. This is backed up by Rural SE Hub who say it’s “Important to create a meaningful community plan, which empowers, and attracts participation from local residents.”
Enjoys Simple Things
Small town folk have a preference for the simpler things in life. They value relationships with friends and family over material possessions as this is considered the most important part of life. Small, everyday pleasures like going for a walk are much more beneficial than a night out in the city.
Adaptability
Coming from a small town means a person is more resilient and this makes it easier for them to adapt. They adjust to different environments which they’ve learnt from living in such a close-knit community. They’re resilient in adversity and will never give up on something they love.