If you live in a small town, do you sometimes wish you lived in a big city so you could be anonymous?

Similar questions: live small town lived big city anonymous.

I've lived in both and here's my side of the story... Ah, what a good question and one that I actually have personal and firsthand knowledge of in order to answer for a change! :) I was born and raised in a small town where pretty much everyone knew me, knew my immediate family and definitely knew my grandparents as did most of the region which made it awfully hard to grow up without feeling as if the whole town was always meddling in my life and I could go nowhere and do nothing, good or bad, without my whole family knowing about it before I could ever think about telling them. For a child and teenager, that is quite frustrating...actually it's really, really irritating and makes growing up just that much more difficult because you feel the eyes of the town on you all the time.

But on the positive side of that note, if I ever needed anything or needed help, I had an entire town ready, willing and able to jump at the chance to be there for me and that was somewhat comforting. It was also nice to be able to go anywhere and be known the moment I walked in somewhere, whether it be a restaurant, grocery store, convenience store, or even nearby towns so I always felt at home no matter where I went. Unlike many people I have met later in my life, I was fortunate enough to go to school with the same kids from kindergarten to graduating high school and that was kind of fun because once I moved to the city, I met lots of military families where the kids moved from school to school every year sometimes.

I feel lucky to still be friends with and in touch with some of my old classmates even now. We rode our bikes all over the place as long as we were home before dark. We never had to lock the doors or keep the windows closed.

We'd have tea or dessert at the neighbor's house almost every afternoon. All the neighbors would get together for supper once a week or on the weekends. Toys could be left scattered on the yard at night & still be there in the morning.

Cars could be left unlocked without worrying if they'd be stolen. Your elementary teachers would attend your high school graduation looking oh so proud because they'd had you as a student, followed your progress thru the years and then wanted to celebrate with you when you finished high school. Kinda neat.

Still, the moment I graduated high school and had the means and money and job to do so, I moved to a large city and I have to confess, I relished the feeling of anonymity. But what did I do? I went and got a very high profile job which put me right back into the same situation of "everybody knows you" kind of thing where I couldn't even go to the grocery store at midnight with no makeup on, hair in a ponytail under a baseball cap and wearing sunglasses and still not have people recognize me.

But I still fondly remember those first few weeks of getting settled in the city where nobody knew who I was much less cared and it was a wonderful feeling I welcomed gratiously. In the city, my doors had at least 3 deadbolt locks on them and were never kept unlocked nor were the windows ever opened even if I was at home. My cars had multiple alarm/security systems on them to deter thefts and I carried Mace with me at all times and was fortunate to have worked with some high level security groups in the state and nation so I had taken many, many different types of self-defense classes and had the necessary items required to protect myself and it was part of my job, too, so it became second nature for me by then.

I never met my neighbors usually but had enough info on them from work to know what kind of people lived in the perimeters around me but it doesn't matter how nice or wealthy your neighborhood is that you live in to deter petty crime or murders or assaults...all of which happened in my immediate vicinity. I was constantly on guard and constantly aware of my surroundings and the sounds of the day or night no matter where I was and I still do that to this day as some habits are hard to break. It is these kinds of things I did not like about living in a large city.

What's ironic is that I'm back in the same small town I started out in but only due to family deaths and serious health crises in my immediate family that caused me to leave everything I'd worked for all those years in the city...my job, home, friends, co-workers, etc...to come back and take care of my family members, which I feel is my ultimate responsibility to my parents and so that's how I went from small town to big city back to small town. At least it's not so bad being in a small town at this stage in my life mainly because my focus is on dealing with all the major things that have been happening in my immediate family and my own health issues that have come up. A small town is great to come back to after you've grown up a bit.It's just those darn teen years that get you every time...but I think that happens no matter where you live.

:) Sources: personal experiences .

I used to, but now I am pretty anonymous! We moved further out in the country, and now I am as anonymous as I'd like to be. I actually like being "known" but it's kind of a bummer to go to the grocery store and it takes forever because you have to stop and chat so often.

Sometimes you want to just get in and get out. And sometimes you want to throw your hair up in a pony and go to the market in your grubby sweats, which I never felt comfortable doing when I ran into all sorts of people. Now that we're further out of town, I feel like I can go anywhere I like and not be known, so I can fade into the background.

Which I like! So it has all the anonymity of the city, with none of the crowds. It's perfect for me.

When I want the big city, I hop in my car and go. That's me, at my computer! @Goldie_Bah_Humbug's Recommendations Bright Lights, Big Ass: A Self-Indulgent, Surly, Ex-Sorority Girl's Guide to Why it Often Sucks in the City, or Who are These Idiots and Why Do They All Live Next Door to Me?

Amazon List Price: $14.00 Used from: $1.99 Average Customer Rating: 4.0 out of 5 (based on 65 reviews) Wow, what a title...

Just sometimes The town I live in is just a little over 1,000 so everyone will know what happens to you before you do! I would love to live in a big city close to pro sports,theater, shopping malls. We have to drive 2 1/2 hours to get to a big city.

But then we also have very low crime I can ride my bike or walk to work. Also someone in town get sick or has an accident,the whole town rallies around that person to help out. Marsvenk's Recommendations Small Town Girl (1953) Amazon List Price: $19.98 Used from: $9.47 Average Customer Rating: 4.0 out of 5 (based on 4 reviews) .

Been there, done that ... I lived in the Los Angeles area all of my life until this year. I didn't live downtown, but with all of the suburbs running together it's pretty much all the same. I worked 20 miles from home and it took me an hour each morning and evening to battle the traffic.

I ended up working longer hours than necessary just to avoid the crowded roads. By the time I got home, there wasn't much time for community involvement. I barely knew my neighbors and it was rare to see anyone I knew in stores, restaurants, etc.I now live in a small town of about 7000 people.

I know my neighbors, am involved in community activities and it's great to bump into people I know when I go about my chores in town. My life is not fast paced and stressful like it was in the big city. Not only did we move to a small town, we moved outside of town and off the grid.

My husband is an author and I do consulting work, mostly grant writing. We go to town once a week, but spend most of our time up the lake. I grow vegetables in the summer, something I've always loved to do, but never had time for.

When we go back to the big city about once a month it's a shock. We are amazed at the traffic, crowds and stores.In our small town we can purchase anything we need and if we are willing to wait, everything goes on sale every few months. In the big city there are so many stores and what they offer now seems so excessive and extravagant.

Give me my small town and a simple lifestyle. You can keep the big city. - Margy Sources: personal experience, PowellRiverBooks.com, PowellRiverBooks.blogspot.com Google Map View Larger Map We live up the lake in a place called Hole in the Wall.

No the reason I sometimes wish I lived in a large town is for the entertainment. I like to go to dinner theaters and other live performances or to a club for a drink and a game of pool. I use to miss living in a wet county but now we have some nice private clubs where you can have a drink with your meal or just stop by for a drink if you like.

Of course I don't live in that small of a town right now. Population is around 50k here but I have lived in some pretty small towns in my past and there is never anything to do. I remember when I was 14 we moved to the big city of DeQueen, AR.

The town didn't even have a theater, just a drive in. What good is a drive in to a 14 year old? They did finally put in a bowling alley so we had a place to hang out..

" "what addictions do you have?" "Why did 19th Cent. Novels so often use anonymous names? Ex.

: Baron N_ , who lived in the T__ Province, was well-liked. " "Looking for a novel where one man, a professional (killer)? Takes on the police in a small town or city.

Not rambo" "Would you prefer living in a small town or a big city like NY? " "what do you get your sis and hubby who live in a big city and really only work and drink? " "Has anyone lived on a boat with small kids?

Why did 19th Cent. Novels so often use anonymous names? Ex.

: Baron N_ , who lived in the T__ Province, was well-liked.

Takes on the police in a small town or city. Not rambo.

I cant really gove you an answer,but what I can give you is a way to a solution, that is you have to find the anglde that you relate to or peaks your interest. A good paper is one that people get drawn into because it reaches them ln some way.As for me WW11 to me, I think of the holocaust and the effect it had on the survivors, their families and those who stood by and did nothing until it was too late.