In your opinion, what are the major differences between people and lives in small towns as compared to those in larger cities?
37 comments:
Anonymous
said...
People who live in small towns, if it is a viable small town, like Des Moines or Quad Cities, have the opportunity to know their neighbors and learn to trust them. If you live in a large city, you do not have this luxury. You are put upon by anyone you do not know and they move in next door. Sometimes good, sometimes bad. You never see them. You never talk to them. Do they keep their yard up? Do they take their garbage out? Do they wrap odd objects in old carpets? There you go.
I live in Los Angeles and I talk to my neighbors all the time. I can't even start to imagine what you mean by being put upon by anyone you do not know.
I live in rural Jtown. I know u tools, your siblings, and parents as well. Unfortunately most Jeffersonians still remember you for being the snot nosed hippy that got caught by Fister for having zig zags and a roach in his 73 Plymouth Duster. You were too lazy to take out the trash, and got married just so you wouldn;t have to as an adult.
"...I live in rural Jtown. I know u tools, your siblings, and parents as well...You were too lazy to take out the trash, and got married just so you wouldn't have to as an adult..."
Like I said before in an older thread, here in Atlanta you don't talk to your neighbors. They live too far away across the lawn. You may run into them at Publix or the Fox, but as a rule if they don't mess with you, you don't mess with them. Actually works quite well, unless you need some kind of neighborly stroking. If so, don't live in Atlanta. Also, own guns and keep them loaded.
I guess by small town I was referring to something along the lines of Jefferson or Scranton, in a rural setting - not places like Des Moines or the Quad Cities.
One thing that has caught my attention over the years is that, contrary to what you might think, I do not find small town residents very friendly. Now, lots of folks who live in small towns will no doubt disagree with me there, but that's because they live there. These people all know each other, for the most part. When I have found myself in these little towns, including Jefferson, I am usually not recognized. As a stranger, almost no one even says "hello" even at retail stores.
People who live in small towns are very friendly with people they know, but seem wary and almost rude toward strangers. Any comments?
Rick, I think your assessment of small towns not being friendly is right on and Jefferson takes it to an extreme. However, small towns that rely on tourism, say near a lake or other attraction, are used to and actually need tourists for their livelihoods. The even want tourists to spend several days in their towns. If they aren't friendly, people don't come back.
Jefferson is not a tourist destination. Jefferson falls into the category of a very unfriendly town. They see strangers as bad people like robbers and vandals. Why would a stranger come to Jefferson unless to do harm. If a Jeffersonian was polite to a stranger, that stranger might come back, or god forbid, stay a night.
Jefferson takes their unfriendliness to an extreme. The people of Jefferson don't like each other, except others in their clique. You can tell by the failing retail situation in Jefferson that the few with money in Jefferson don't shop in Jefferson. Their friendliness stops with their friends and doesn't extend to the retailers. The restaurants have failed or are failing because the "haves" and "havenots" would not and will not dine together. The people of Jefferson don't like out-of-towners (strangers) and they don't like each other. It's a sad, sad little town.
You know what? We don't really care if you feel comfortable or not when you come to Jefferson. Just because you show up here doesn't mean we're going to hand you a hanky to blow your snooty nose on. It is what it is. I think I'll call Roeder right now and have him pull your out of county plate vehicle over as soon as he can find it. It will probably be real easy because I bet it's clean and more than likely a late model.
I can actually engage a stranger on the street in Des Moines and receive a more friendly conversation than I can in Jefferson. The clerk at Casey's there doesn't even acknowledge me.
The people who say that it's a friendly place inevitably fit into one group - they are people well-known in the community. People treat them friendly because they know them.
City Hall needs to put Valium (or equivalent feel-good medicine) in Jefferson's water supply. That should get them out of their depressed/angry funk and get them act a little more friendly.
Listen Big Nasty.. Roeder hasnt been around for quite some time. I gueesing at the fact he hasnt been a sheriff for 5 years now, and was absent the previous 4. Jtown Caseys clerks arent the may not be the friendliest bunch, mostly because they are unhappy with their dead end situation. Im a non-friendly because in general I dont like people. And Rick..they would become friendly here to ya if you stayed a short time. You would fit in the group of being well known shortly
If by some chance you're interested in small town news, we have added the Perry Chief to our links of area newspapers that you can view on line. It is on the left-hand side of the main web page of the Jefferson Iowa News.
We are still unable to list a Jefferson paper on line (sigh).
Here's some small town news that pertains to Jefferson and our previous discussions concerning the direction that local businesses are headed.
Two shops along the north side of the square will not be renewing their leases after December 31st. Junck and Cool Beans will both go out of business, but continue to operate on-line.
This follows the news that Electrolux will be closing next spring. Watch to see if any mention of these items is made in the Jefferson Bee or Herald.
"This follows the news that Electrolux will be closing next spring. Watch to see if any mention of these items is made in the Jefferson Bee or Herald."
This was front page news in the latest Herald. But not the top story. You would have thought they would want a photo of the building and such on the front. But no, just a story of how the town is trying to handle the effects of the move.
If this happened in Carrol or Perry, you could bet most of the front page of their newspapers would have been about the Electrolux move.
Apparently nobody of importance works at Electrolux. I wouldn't be surprised if a majority of townfolk in Jefferson consider Electrolux an undesirable employer. It's not owned or controlled by anyone in Jefferson. So begone with it!
The final 45 employed at Electrolux have known this was coming for a number of years. None the less i hope they find other jobs soon. That being said, Electrolux has been threatening those token jobs for the past ten years. The majortiy of the employable have went elsewhere years ago. Just like Chicago Rivet. Small towns in Iowa and nationwide are in dire straits. Buying local means nothing. Most people will drive ten extra miles to save a penny. I tell ya what...this country is in the sh!tter all the way around. Im no religous freak, but God is a forbidden word, and you wait....the moron spend happy democrats will want "In GOD we trust" removed from currency because it may offend the atheists and otherwise genetically cheated people consuming oxygen around our nation. We are so concerned about not offending anyone we have p!ssed away our moral foundation.
"I tell ya what...this country is in the sh!tter all the way around. Im no religous freak, but God is a forbidden word, and you wait....the moron spend happy democrats will want "In GOD we trust" removed from currency because it may offend the atheists and otherwise genetically cheated people consuming oxygen around our nation. We are so concerned about not offending anyone we have p!ssed away our moral foundation." -
I am an atheist. "God" is far from becoming a fobidden word! I live in one of the more liberal states, and trust me, God is bigger than ever out here.
As for the "spend happy democrats", most of what they are spending money on is keeping this country out of depression due to the last 8 - 12 years of lack of financial oversite. Maybe we should stop those farm subsidies, right? That's some spending that has gone out of control.
Also, I am not sure why you think I might be genetically cheated...
Point taken Tars...but I would disagree that the Dems spending is keeping the country afloat. Im no genius, but I've yet to see anybody successfully spend their way out of debt. Lets keep supporting those who wont work with programs and hand outs. Iowas budget is so hosed because dems have increased the size of government and spending the past several years. Its Christmas 365 days a year for democrats.
I think you are mistaken with the idea that the "Dems spending" is an attempt to reduce the deficit. Almost all of it is an attempt to stabilize the financial markets.
The next time someone listens to Glen Beck (or someone else on Fox News) rant about "Obama spending..." ask yourself what Beck said about Pres Bush when he took a budget surplus and turned it into deficits every year? Where was the outrage by Beck or on Fox News back then? I used to like Fox News, but I've lost almost all respect for it at this point. Outside of Bill O'Reilly, they don't even try to feign a balanced viewpoint.
What was everyone's opinion when/if you left Jefferson to live somewhere else? Did you think your new "home town" was more friendly or less friendly than Jefferson?
Excellent post Tars. I left Jefferson to get out of there. I have no regrets. When we moved our family to Atlanta, there was no turning back. My kids love it here. Big city, everything you want to do. Plenty of opportunity. All of my family is doing great and the best is still coming. You can't be successful if you don't go after it. As far as being friendly, who cares? You will find your friends as you go. You will know them when you meet them. Hardly anyone has the same friends for a lifetime. Those who do either do not move or are very lucky.
Remind me again who ordered statewide 10 percent cuts because he didn’t have enough foresight to cut back spending? Surely wasn’t a conservative. Thanks so much, Chet Culver...
"Remind me again who ordered statewide 10 percent cuts because he didn’t have enough foresight to cut back spending?
While I am no fan of Gov. Culver, I do not think you will find many states that had such foresight. While people are usually all for cuts in government spending, they usually do not want to have any services cut. Especially in "welfare" counties like Greene.
The genius hired or allowed the hiring of 725 or so people since he put a hiring FREEZE on. Interesting read about that today in the dsm register. Some really had to be filled but many are filler positions including the person he selected to aid him in getting relected. Culver was a mistake,hopefully the democrats will soon see the err of their ways.
If the Governor (and legislature) want to save some money, they need to reduce the number of counties in Iowa from 99 to something more reasonable like 33, 25 or even lower. With a population of under 10,000, Greene County won't make the cut and Jefferson will blow away with the wind. The sooner the better, in my opinion.
"The genius hired or allowed the hiring of 725 or so people since he put a hiring FREEZE on. Interesting read about that today in the dsm register. Some really had to be filled but many are filler positions including the person he selected to aid him in getting relected. Culver was a mistake,hopefully the democrats will soon see the err of their ways."
Try reading that article without the commentary from the idiot fringe (i.e. Tax Relief for Iowans). Want to see how some good tax dollars have been spent in the past: http://farm.ewg.org/farm/top_recips.php?fips=19073&progcode=total
To Orville K. Bass - You should have included in your diatribe on the email thing that repeating previous blog responses in a different font as a set up for some kind of personal rant is pretty bogus crap. I mean, we just read the same damn thing 2 paragraphs up. Why waste my time reading it again just so this guy can remember what he's talking about? Whatever.
"You should have included in your diatribe on the email thing that repeating previous blog responses in a different font as a set up for some kind of personal rant is pretty bogus crap."
This is normal discussion blog procedure to repeat a section of a previous post (in quotes and in italics) when you are commenting on a specific point brought up by someone else.
37 comments:
People who live in small towns, if it is a viable small town, like Des Moines or Quad Cities, have the opportunity to know their neighbors and learn to trust them. If you live in a large city, you do not have this luxury. You are put upon by anyone you do not know and they move in next door. Sometimes good, sometimes bad. You never see them. You never talk to them. Do they keep their yard up? Do they take their garbage out? Do they wrap odd objects in old carpets? There you go.
Bodabing!
I live in Los Angeles and I talk to my neighbors all the time. I can't even start to imagine what you mean by being put upon by anyone you do not know.
I live in rural Jtown. I know u tools, your siblings, and parents as well. Unfortunately most Jeffersonians still remember you for being the snot nosed hippy that got caught by Fister for having zig zags and a roach in his 73 Plymouth Duster. You were too lazy to take out the trash, and got married just so you wouldn;t have to as an adult.
Once again, there you go.
"...I live in rural Jtown. I know u tools, your siblings, and parents as well...You were too lazy to take out the trash, and got married just so you wouldn't have to as an adult..."
I forgot just how nice people are in Iowa.
Like I said before in an older thread, here in Atlanta you don't talk to your neighbors. They live too far away across the lawn. You may run into them at Publix or the Fox, but as a rule if they don't mess with you, you don't mess with them. Actually works quite well, unless you need some kind of neighborly stroking. If so, don't live in Atlanta. Also, own guns and keep them loaded.
One needs to consider the merits of living in the country, away from annoying neighbors. This is especially convenient in the Jefferson area.
I guess by small town I was referring to something along the lines of Jefferson or Scranton, in a rural setting - not places like Des Moines or the Quad Cities.
One thing that has caught my attention over the years is that, contrary to what you might think, I do not find small town residents very friendly. Now, lots of folks who live in small towns will no doubt disagree with me there, but that's because they live there. These people all know each other, for the most part. When I have found myself in these little towns, including Jefferson, I am usually not recognized. As a stranger, almost no one even says "hello" even at retail stores.
People who live in small towns are very friendly with people they know, but seem wary and almost rude toward strangers. Any comments?
Rick, I think your assessment of small towns not being friendly is right on and Jefferson takes it to an extreme. However, small towns that rely on tourism, say near a lake or other attraction, are used to and actually need tourists for their livelihoods. The even want tourists to spend several days in their towns. If they aren't friendly, people don't come back.
Jefferson is not a tourist destination. Jefferson falls into the category of a very unfriendly town. They see strangers as bad people like robbers and vandals. Why would a stranger come to Jefferson unless to do harm. If a Jeffersonian was polite to a stranger, that stranger might come back, or god forbid, stay a night.
Jefferson takes their unfriendliness to an extreme. The people of Jefferson don't like each other, except others in their clique. You can tell by the failing retail situation in Jefferson that the few with money in Jefferson don't shop in Jefferson. Their friendliness stops with their friends and doesn't extend to the retailers. The restaurants have failed or are failing because the "haves" and "havenots" would not and will not dine together. The people of Jefferson don't like out-of-towners (strangers) and they don't like each other. It's a sad, sad little town.
You know what? We don't really care if you feel comfortable or not when you come to Jefferson. Just because you show up here doesn't mean we're going to hand you a hanky to blow your snooty nose on. It is what it is. I think I'll call Roeder right now and have him pull your out of county plate vehicle over as soon as he can find it. It will probably be real easy because I bet it's clean and more than likely a late model.
I can actually engage a stranger on the street in Des Moines and receive a more friendly conversation than I can in Jefferson. The clerk at Casey's there doesn't even acknowledge me.
The people who say that it's a friendly place inevitably fit into one group - they are people well-known in the community. People treat them friendly because they know them.
City Hall needs to put Valium (or equivalent feel-good medicine) in Jefferson's water supply. That should get them out of their depressed/angry funk and get them act a little more friendly.
Listen Big Nasty.. Roeder hasnt been around for quite some time. I gueesing at the fact he hasnt been a sheriff for 5 years now, and was absent the previous 4.
Jtown Caseys clerks arent the may not be the friendliest bunch, mostly because they are unhappy with their dead end situation. Im a non-friendly because in general I dont like people.
And Rick..they would become friendly here to ya if you stayed a short time. You would fit in the group of being well known shortly
If by some chance you're interested in small town news, we have added the Perry Chief to our links of area newspapers that you can view on line. It is on the left-hand side of the main web page of the Jefferson Iowa News.
We are still unable to list a Jefferson paper on line (sigh).
Here's some small town news that pertains to Jefferson and our previous discussions concerning the direction that local businesses are headed.
Two shops along the north side of the square will not be renewing their leases after December 31st.
Junck and Cool Beans will both go out of business, but continue to operate on-line.
This follows the news that Electrolux will be closing next spring. Watch to see if any mention of these items is made in the Jefferson Bee or Herald.
"This follows the news that Electrolux will be closing next spring. Watch to see if any mention of these items is made in the Jefferson Bee or Herald."
This was front page news in the latest Herald. But not the top story. You would have thought they would want a photo of the building and such on the front. But no, just a story of how the town is trying to handle the effects of the move.
If this happened in Carrol or Perry, you could bet most of the front page of their newspapers would have been about the Electrolux move.
Apparently nobody of importance works at Electrolux. I wouldn't be surprised if a majority of townfolk in Jefferson consider Electrolux an undesirable employer. It's not owned or controlled by anyone in Jefferson. So begone with it!
The final 45 employed at Electrolux have known this was coming for a number of years. None the less i hope they find other jobs soon.
That being said, Electrolux has been threatening those token jobs for the past ten years. The majortiy of the employable have went elsewhere years ago. Just like Chicago Rivet. Small towns in Iowa and nationwide are in dire straits. Buying local means nothing. Most people will drive ten extra miles to save a penny.
I tell ya what...this country is in the sh!tter all the way around. Im no religous freak, but God is a forbidden word, and you wait....the moron spend happy democrats will want "In GOD we trust" removed from currency because it may offend the atheists and otherwise genetically cheated people consuming oxygen around our nation.
We are so concerned about not offending anyone we have p!ssed away our moral foundation.
"I tell ya what...this country is in the sh!tter all the way around. Im no religous freak, but God is a forbidden word, and you wait....the moron spend happy democrats will want "In GOD we trust" removed from currency because it may offend the atheists and otherwise genetically cheated people consuming oxygen around our nation.
We are so concerned about not offending anyone we have p!ssed away our moral foundation." -
I am an atheist. "God" is far from becoming a fobidden word! I live in one of the more liberal states, and trust me, God is bigger than ever out here.
As for the "spend happy democrats", most of what they are spending money on is keeping this country out of depression due to the last 8 - 12 years of lack of financial oversite. Maybe we should stop those farm subsidies, right? That's some spending that has gone out of control.
Also, I am not sure why you think I might be genetically cheated...
Point taken Tars...but I would disagree that the Dems spending is keeping the country afloat. Im no genius, but I've yet to see anybody successfully spend their way out of debt. Lets keep supporting those who wont work with programs and hand outs. Iowas budget is so hosed because dems have increased the size of government and spending the past several years. Its Christmas 365 days a year for democrats.
I think you are mistaken with the idea that the "Dems spending" is an attempt to reduce the deficit. Almost all of it is an attempt to stabilize the financial markets.
The next time someone listens to Glen Beck (or someone else on Fox News) rant about "Obama spending..." ask yourself what Beck said about Pres Bush when he took a budget surplus and turned it into deficits every year? Where was the outrage by Beck or on Fox News back then? I used to like Fox News, but I've lost almost all respect for it at this point. Outside of Bill O'Reilly, they don't even try to feign a balanced viewpoint.
As for the topic "Small Town vs. City":
What was everyone's opinion when/if you left Jefferson to live somewhere else? Did you think your new "home town" was more friendly or less friendly than Jefferson?
Excellent post Tars. I left Jefferson to get out of there. I have no regrets. When we moved our family to Atlanta, there was no turning back. My kids love it here. Big city, everything you want to do. Plenty of opportunity. All of my family is doing great and the best is still coming. You can't be successful if you don't go after it. As far as being friendly, who cares? You will find your friends as you go. You will know them when you meet them. Hardly anyone has the same friends for a lifetime. Those who do either do not move or are very lucky.
Well I am so glad all you x jtown people have moved on, we have enough people who think they know everything!
Remind me again who ordered statewide 10 percent cuts because he didn’t have enough foresight to cut back spending? Surely wasn’t a conservative. Thanks so much, Chet Culver...
"Remind me again who ordered statewide 10 percent cuts because he didn’t have enough foresight to cut back spending?
While I am no fan of Gov. Culver, I do not think you will find many states that had such foresight. While people are usually all for cuts in government spending, they usually do not want to have any services cut. Especially in "welfare" counties like Greene.
The genius hired or allowed the hiring of 725 or so people since he put a hiring FREEZE on. Interesting read about that today in the dsm register. Some really had to be filled but many are filler positions including the person he selected to aid him in getting relected. Culver was a mistake,hopefully the democrats will soon see the err of their ways.
If the Governor (and legislature) want to save some money, they need to reduce the number of counties in Iowa from 99 to something more reasonable like 33, 25 or even lower. With a population of under 10,000, Greene County won't make the cut and Jefferson will blow away with the wind. The sooner the better, in my opinion.
"The genius hired or allowed the hiring of 725 or so people since he put a hiring FREEZE on. Interesting read about that today in the dsm register. Some really had to be filled but many are filler positions including the person he selected to aid him in getting relected. Culver was a mistake,hopefully the democrats will soon see the err of their ways."
Try reading that article without the commentary from the idiot fringe (i.e. Tax Relief for Iowans). Want to see how some good tax dollars have been spent in the past:
http://farm.ewg.org/farm/top_recips.php?fips=19073&progcode=total
To Orville K. Bass - You should have included in your diatribe on the email thing that repeating previous blog responses in a different font as a set up for some kind of personal rant is pretty bogus crap. I mean, we just read the same damn thing 2 paragraphs up. Why waste my time reading it again just so this guy can remember what he's talking about? Whatever.
"You should have included in your diatribe on the email thing that repeating previous blog responses in a different font as a set up for some kind of personal rant is pretty bogus crap."
This is normal discussion blog procedure to repeat a section of a previous post (in quotes and in italics) when you are commenting on a specific point brought up by someone else.
I still don't want to read it again.
Even if I wrote it.
Big Nasty said...
Even if I wrote it.
ME EITHER
Diamond Dave is from a small town. He thinks that folks in small towns are friendlier than those in bigger cities. We're going to find out.
He and I are going to a small town and spend some time. It won't be the town that he's from - they are friendly because they know him.
We'll get back to you with the results.
This will be interesting.
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