Hey Aldean, I was raised in a small town. Let me tell ya' 'bout it . . .

[Renaissance Man]

69. Small Towns

The nepotism and corruption in small towns is exponentially worse, as well.

I've found that many people who find small town life as something to be admired don't inventory the huge negatives that exist in these places - limited quality job opportunities, rampant opiod use, outdated public utilities, small tax base, small GDP, the level of gossip that consumes so many people (who have very little to do as is), limited recreational opportunities, etc. They've really been in a death spiral since we normalized trade relations with China and once NAFTA was enacted.

Since that death spiral, anyone who remotely wanted to seek better job opportunities have flocked to large cities and mid-sized cities and college towns.

The positives about small town living (if you live near waterways) are outdoorsman activities (like fishing and hunting). Outside of that, you really don't have much.