You Might Be From a Small Town If You Have:

You know everyone at the grocery store—even if you can’t remember their last name.

You call a 30-minute drive “just down the road.”

You’ve waved at a stranger and realized later they were related to you.

You know exactly which gas station has the best pizza.

You measure distance in minutes, not miles.

You grew up going to county fairs, rodeos, fly-ins, and pancake breakfasts.

You remember when businesses occupied different buildings downtown.

You still call places by their old names.

You have a favorite backroad.

You’ve watched a parade where half the people waving were family.

You know which café serves coffee strong enough to wake up the entire town.

You remember thinking your hometown was boring—until you moved away or came back with your own children.

You’ve said, “There’s nothing to do here,” and later realized you simply weren’t paying attention.

You’ve driven through a small town and wondered what stories you missed by not stopping.

Maybe that’s why my kids and I are exploring these places now.

Not because they’re perfect.

Not because they’re famous.

But because they’re full of memories waiting to be made.

And sometimes, the best adventures are hiding in the towns we almost drove right past.