There’s something very special about the small towns in Iowa. With their friendly atmospheres, low crime rates and charming Main Streets, you’re likely to count yourself as lucky if you had the opportunity to grow up in a small town here. And, there are some very specific experiences that we’ve all had if we spent our childhoods in one of these small towns. Here are 11 things only people from small town Iowa will understand.
- Everyone knows everyone else.
Flickr/Alex Naanou This can be a good and a bad thing. It’s nice to see familiar faces everywhere and know that people care about you. But you get used to everyone knowing your business.
- Outside of your region, probably no one has ever heard of your town.
Flickr/Justine You’re so used to getting a blank look when you tell someone where you’re from that you just say, “Oh, you probably wouldn’t know it.”
- You consider cruising Main Street (aka, “scooping the loop”) a legitimate Friday night activity.
Flickr/Jeff Gitchel Cruising Main Street, or anywhere in general, is a major form of entertainment in a small town. It’s a chance to get out of the house and hang out with friends, or flirt with that cute girl or guy you like.
- You had a lot of freedom growing up.
Flickr/John Tornow While there may have not been much to do in the form of entertainment, small town Iowans have a huge amount of free reign compared to city kids. With low crime rates and everyone knowing each other, it’s considered safe for kids to ride their bikes everywhere or meet up with neighborhood kids to play the day away, without much adult supervision.
- You’ve been to more church basement potluck dinners than you can count.
Flickr/Emily Pass the hot dish, rolls and jello, please. Church basement potlucks are a major staple of small town Iowa.
- Smiling and waving at everyone is considered normal.
Flickr/Jenny Addison In a big city, if you smiled and waved at everyone you passed on the street, people would probably just quietly wonder what insane asylum you were just released from. In a small town, it’s normal, and even rude not to exchange this basic courtesy.
- There’s not much to do, so you make your own fun.
Flickr/Carl Wycoff Without all of the forms of entertainment provided by larger cities, small town Iowans know how to use their imaginations and make their own fun.
- Attending a party in a cornfield is a totally normal thing to do.
Flickr/regan76 Imagine explaining that to someone who didn’t grow up in rural Iowa? And yet, those are some of the most fun parties we’ve been to.
- Friday night sporting events are a major social function.
Flickr/regan76 Supporting the hometown team is a given. Whether we’re gathering under the Friday night lights or in the high school gymnasium, local sporting events are not to be missed.
- Dreaming of getting out.
Flickr/EvelynGiggles Whether you’ve got posters of foreign cities on your wall or you just dream of moving to a town nearby that has an actual mall, dreaming of getting out to someplace big and exciting is a given.
- And then missing it like crazy if you do.
Flickr/Michelle TeGrootenhuis You don’t know what you’ve got ‘til it’s gone. Inevitably, if we leave, we realize how good we had it and that our hearts will always be with our small hometowns.
Did you grow up in a small town in Iowa? What was your experience like? Want to explore some of Iowa’s best small towns? Here Are 10 Of The Most Charming Small Towns In Iowa.
Flickr/Alex Naanou
This can be a good and a bad thing. It’s nice to see familiar faces everywhere and know that people care about you. But you get used to everyone knowing your business.
Flickr/Justine
You’re so used to getting a blank look when you tell someone where you’re from that you just say, “Oh, you probably wouldn’t know it.”
Flickr/Jeff Gitchel
Cruising Main Street, or anywhere in general, is a major form of entertainment in a small town. It’s a chance to get out of the house and hang out with friends, or flirt with that cute girl or guy you like.
Flickr/John Tornow
While there may have not been much to do in the form of entertainment, small town Iowans have a huge amount of free reign compared to city kids. With low crime rates and everyone knowing each other, it’s considered safe for kids to ride their bikes everywhere or meet up with neighborhood kids to play the day away, without much adult supervision.
Flickr/Emily
Pass the hot dish, rolls and jello, please. Church basement potlucks are a major staple of small town Iowa.
Flickr/Jenny Addison
In a big city, if you smiled and waved at everyone you passed on the street, people would probably just quietly wonder what insane asylum you were just released from. In a small town, it’s normal, and even rude not to exchange this basic courtesy.
Flickr/Carl Wycoff
Without all of the forms of entertainment provided by larger cities, small town Iowans know how to use their imaginations and make their own fun.
Flickr/regan76
Imagine explaining that to someone who didn’t grow up in rural Iowa? And yet, those are some of the most fun parties we’ve been to.
Supporting the hometown team is a given. Whether we’re gathering under the Friday night lights or in the high school gymnasium, local sporting events are not to be missed.
Flickr/EvelynGiggles
Whether you’ve got posters of foreign cities on your wall or you just dream of moving to a town nearby that has an actual mall, dreaming of getting out to someplace big and exciting is a given.
Flickr/Michelle TeGrootenhuis
You don’t know what you’ve got ‘til it’s gone. Inevitably, if we leave, we realize how good we had it and that our hearts will always be with our small hometowns.
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