Adjusting to small town life.

[LoveMyHats2]

Well, then. If someone can act as impresario, I see a good small town tour of the USA coming up. These "Opera Houses" need to earn their names.

That would be a great idea. There are some very nice Opera Houses in many different cities all across the USA.

 

[LoveMyHats2]

One of my biggest gripes about living in Southern California is that there is no real sense of community. As it's more or less a transient society here, people are less rooted. Sadly, I get the sense that a lot of people, whether they come from other parts of the country or other countries, only see California as a place to make money and not as a place to settle and put down roots. I've noticed a lot of people here, once they retire or have otherwise achieved whatever financial goals they've set for themselves, want to eventually go back to wherever they came from. Psychologically, their bags are packed and sitting by the door even though they've been here for many years.

So very true. One thing I always recall about California is you can be on a road and go from one city to another and never even notice it, as if it is all one large non ending city.

 

[1961MJS]

So very true. One thing I always recall about California is you can be on a road and go from one city to another and never even notice it, as if it is all one large non ending city.

Hi, that's what struck me on my first trip to the Chicago area. I drove from Kankakee to Barrington and was never out of sight of a McDonald's. I was amazed that the guys I was visiting knew which city they were in all of the time.

Later

 

[LizzieMaine]

This is something that really bothers me about what's happening to small towns now -- every town you go to, there's the McDonalds, the Burger King, the KFC, the Dunkin Donuts, the Home Depot, the Lowes, and the Walmart. They used to warn during the Era about "the chain store menace," and they were right -- it just took a few decades longer than they expected.

 

[Viola]

I've moved to what is a small town to me. And the big city to my husband. We're both pretty weirded out by the adjustment.

I don't think the locals are any more polite than they were in the big city. Actually, mostly less so as far as things like holding doors open for people coming behind you or not stopping dead at the ends of escalators or getting in loud, screaming, drunk disturbances with their significant other at midnight Fridays. I do think they might be friendlier and more outgoing. But not more polite.

 

[LoveMyHats2]

This is something that really bothers me about what's happening to small towns now -- every town you go to, there's the McDonalds, the Burger King, the KFC, the Dunkin Donuts, the Home Depot, the Lowes, and the Walmart. They used to warn during the Era about "the chain store menace," and they were right -- it just took a few decades longer than they expected.

I wish I could find the website that discussed the fall of the malls even...many great shopping malls that were around late 1950's to present are gone. It has some really interesting things to say about them. Just as the Hudson's that was here in Detroit. Wally World had doomed many business places every where.

 

[Yeps]

This is something that really bothers me about what's happening to small towns now -- every town you go to, there's the McDonalds, the Burger King, the KFC, the Dunkin Donuts, the Home Depot, the Lowes, and the Walmart. They used to warn during the Era about "the chain store menace," and they were right -- it just took a few decades longer than they expected.

Speaking of which, I was just reading an article, apparently with the demise of Borders due to Amazon's dominance, small, independent bookstores are experiencing a bit of a renaissance. Apparently they don't compete with Amazon, and the two can coexist peacefully.

 

[C-dot]

This is something that really bothers me about what's happening to small towns now -- every town you go to, there's the McDonalds, the Burger King, the KFC, the Dunkin Donuts, the Home Depot, the Lowes, and the Walmart. They used to warn during the Era about "the chain store menace," and they were right -- it just took a few decades longer than they expected.

A few years back I watched a documentary on Sam Walton and the rise of Walmart, and it said that many small towns - even entire states - were resisting the spread of the chain into their area. It said that Vermont was the only state that had completely resisted it, but I don't know if this is still true.

Walmart is taking over the world.

Speaking of which, I was just reading an article, apparently with the demise of Borders due to Amazon's dominance, small, independent bookstores are experiencing a bit of a renaissance. Apparently they don't compete with Amazon, and the two can coexist peacefully.

That is very good to know! I love books, and I love them more in independent stores.

 

[DNO]

A few years back I watched a documentary on Sam Walton and the rise of Walmart, and it said that many small towns - even entire states - were resisting the spread of the chain into their area. It said that Vermont was the only state that had completely resisted it, but I don't know if this is still true.

Walmart is taking over the world.

They're popping up everywhere...small towns like Stouffville, Port Perry and Uxbridge now feature a Walmart in some sort of large box store development on the edge of town. I try not to be too dogmatic in most things but I just can't bring myself to enter a Walmart...I did once, bought nothing, left and never returned. I was delighted, however, that my naturally surly appearance prevented me from receiving a 'greeting'. Small blessings. Give me a mom and pop store every time. I'll happily pay a premium for a smaller, human-scale store.

 

[C-dot]

They're popping up everywhere...small towns like Stouffville, Port Perry and Uxbridge now feature a Walmart in some sort of large box store development on the edge of town.

I think the rule is, if GO Transit goes there, so do the box stores. There are even a few squeezing their ways into Toronto, but at least they're outnumbered by mom and pop's.

 

[V.C. Brunswick]

A few years back I watched a documentary on Sam Walton and the rise of Walmart, and it said that many small towns - even entire states - were resisting the spread of the chain into their area. It said that Vermont was the only state that had completely resisted it, but I don't know if this is still true.

Walmart is taking over the world.

I know I posted this pic somewhere else but this Walmart in L.A. was formerly The Broadway Department Store from 1947 to 1996. Now it's probably the world's fanciest-looking Walmart -- all three stories.

 

[Terry292]

http://www.southernfriedtravel.com/2009/05/posted-by-picasa.html

We don't just live in a small town, but about 7 miles from it. It has its advantages and disadvantages. One of the major advantages is solitude. We don't have to contend with neighbors' flushing toilets, and such. On the other hand, it takes forever to get to anywhere civilized from here. The photo is from my wife's blog.

 

[C-dot]

I know I posted this pic somewhere else but this Walmart in L.A. was formerly The Broadway Department Store from 1947 to 1996. Now it's probably the world's fanciest-looking Walmart -- all three stories.

I haven't seen that photo, thanks for posting it again. At least its a step up...

The photo is from my wife's blog.

That is a lovely house you have there!

 

[Fletch]

This is something that really bothers me about what's happening to small towns now -- every town you go to, there's the McDonalds, the Burger King, the KFC, the Dunkin Donuts, the Home Depot, the Lowes, and the Walmart. They used to warn during the Era about "the chain store menace," and they were right -- it just took a few decades longer than they expected.

I don't know if anyone else notices this, but many smaller, poorer towns today have nothing but mass culture. Call it the "Budweiser effect" if you like: spending your dollar on heavily-promoted national brands has become a way to show your Americanism, whereas supporting local foods, crafts, etc., can come off as a snub to the plain folk.

The question has to be asked whether "American" is the only identity some parts of the country have left to call their own.

 

[LizzieMaine]

Around here everyone goes to the farmers' market and the roadside stands -- what we *don't* have are the natural-food/organic chain supermarkets. And I think they'd bomb colossally here. The problem is the marketing -- the local-foods entrepreneurs tend to position their marketing to the upscale types, and the regular people are bound to feel high-hatted by all that supercilious grainier-than-thou stuff. Sell the products not in terms of "make this a better planet while eating a legume on cracked wheat sandwich while driving your Prius," but in terms of "your neighbor grew this to sell for a fair price" and you'll reach the common folk. Of course, you might have to cut the markup a bit, too.

When we were a manufacturing nation, a lot of towns had signs and campaigns promoting local industry. "Trenton Makes -- The World Takes", things like that. Maybe that's what we need to be getting back to, if only we still manufactured.

I think it'd be a better country if we all thought of ourselves as "Americans" before anything else, but I digress...

 

[V.C. Brunswick]

When we were a manufacturing nation, a lot of towns had signs and campaigns promoting local industry. "Trenton Makes -- The World Takes", things like that. Maybe that's what we need to be getting back to, if only we still manufactured.

Shows how far we have fallen as a nation when the building of a factory in your town went from being a source of pride to a source of protests.

 

[Dubya]

Well, I don't know what you would call "small town", but I live in a small town (population 30,000) on the East coast of England. About 25 miles from France. I moved here about 4 years ago after I divorced, and I love living here.
My house (built in 1648) is only a mile from the seafront, and to stroll along the promenade and pier in summer lifts the spirits. The history of the town is firmly entwined with the history of Britain. In fact, Julius Caesar the Roman Emperor landed his troops on English soil here way back in 52A.D. Unfortunately, the gift shop was closed, so he went home again!
The Goodwin Sands, a graveyard of hundreds of ships in the English Channel, lies just 3 miles out. And just 10 miles away is the town of Dover, with the best castle in the world!............probably

Dover Castle

 

[HoosierDaddy]

HoleyMoley...now THAT'S a castle..!!:eeek:

 

[DNO]

Been to Dover. Loved the castle and the Roman lighthouse. Loved the cliffs. You live in a terrific place, Dubya.

 

[AtomicEraTom]

Well said, Lizzie!

I think it'd be a better country if we all thought of ourselves as "Americans" before anything else, but I digress...