Maturing has changed my outlook and feelings towards my small town. Growing up, I hated living in a small town because I had huge dreams and ambitions that I believed could not be achieved in an environment with few opportunities. I would dream of moving to New York as soon as I could. Now that I’m older, I wouldn’t say my ambitions died. I just changed and refocused on what’s important.

 I used to wonder why my parents wanted to live here. I hated them for choosing to live in a town no one knew the name of. As I grew older, I began to understand why they wanted to start a family in Dyersburg. Living in a small town is safer for raising children than living in a big city. A low population means less crime. 

Growing up with nothing to do for fun was one of the reasons I hated small-town living. We only had a few options for fun: the skating rink, bowling alley, and hanging out in the Walmart parking lot with friends. When I started driving, riding around with my friends became a new way to have fun. Even though we didn’t have many things to do, we always found good ways to spend time together. 

One thing I love about living in a small town is the predictability of how people act and where everything is. My hometown is small but large in comparison to other towns in Tennessee. Around 16,000 people are currently living in Dyersburg. This may not seem like a large amount, but when you’re weaving in and out of traffic on Lake Road it is. 

I love living where I grew up because of the familiarity of it. I know where everything is, what street leads to where, and who lives on certain streets. Living in a small town has made me who I am today. I’m staying in Dyer County when I graduate college, I will raise my family driving down the same back roads I did growing up.