A lot of people grow up in a small town, but can that affect what you do in the future? Just because you grew up somewhere that is not well known, doesn’t mean you can’t become something big.

Taylor Swift is 32 years old and has been singing since she was 14. She grew up in West Reading, Pennsylvania. West Reading is a small town with a population of 4,268. It doesn’t have a lot of people, and would be considered a smaller town, Swift moved to Hendersonville, Tennessee when she was 14 so she could pursue her career in country music near Nashville.

Layla Knight, a senior at YCHS has lived in Yamhill, Oregon her whole life. When she graduates she plans to attend University Of Idaho, study political science in agriculture. She wants to be an agriculture lobbyist. “I love living in a small town, I love the community feel of everyone knowing everyone.”

From Knight’s time living in a small town she has met her best friend, her inspiring teachers, and her FFA teammates. “Don’t let living in a smaller town stop you from achieving what you want to achieve,” she said.

Living in a small town, everyone knows everyone, and you feel more welcome. People assume that if you live in a small town you don’t have many opportunities. Meg Amerson is an 8th grade English teacher, she has worked at YC for three years . She has been living in Carlton since 2010, she moved from Winchester, Oregon where she grew up.

 “I love living in a small town,” she said. “Friday night football, seeing someone you know everywhere you go.”

As you can see you don’t have to Live in a small town your whole life, if you have a big dream you can achieve it, or if you like the small town feeling, stay in a small town.

 “Kids should absolutely follow their dreams, and not let living in a small town affect what their dream is,” Amerson said. 

Living in a small town means you have more supporters, more people there for you. You get more help in your life. If someone needs help building something within an hour and a half the town is going to be there. Also you have more close friends, a bunch of friends, it is easier to trust people. 

Knight said,“I am happy I grew up in a small town, and not in a big city.” The love, the passion, and the good homie feeling is the best part of living in a small town, if you don’t want to move to a big city and follow your dream. Don’t let where you grew up stop you from achieving what you want to achieve.