Even though it sometimes feels like there’s nothing to do in our little mountain town and it can feel hard to find something exciting to do, I absolutely love living here. I used to live in Denver, where I wasn’t allowed to walk to my best friend’s house which was two blocks away. Cities are normally scarier and more dangerous than little towns, which makes them difficult to run around in as a kid. Although there are many great things about living in the city, I believe that living in a mountain town is so much more fun.
In the city there is an abundance of new restaurants, shops and parks to go to, which keeps things fun, but in a little town you often run into friends and classmates in all these places. Living in a small town where everyone knows everyone makes for a very fun environment to be in. I love it when my friends and I can go out to dinner and run into a whole other friend group or randomly run into someone at a park and spontaneously get to hang out. Although in a city you can run into people, you will never get to build the type of community that you get in a little town. In a small town you get to be known and build a reputation for yourself whereas in a city you are mostly anonymous and isolated except to your small group of friends.
Towns are often viewed as boring since they don’t have malls, museums, zoos or theaters to pass time but there are still plenty of fun things to do. You can spend time hiking or lounging at the park or you can go on a quick camping trip with friends only 10 minutes away. Getting to live this close to nature and have the ability to go where I want as a kid has been super important to learning what I value in life and becoming who I am. Also, living in a small town as a teenager allows so much more freedom for kids and more chances to go places without fear. As a girl, if I was living in a city, I would probably not be allowed to walk around by myself at night like I can in Salida and would not have as much freedom as I do living in a small town.
Being able to live in a small town like Salida has not only given me way more opportunity than a city would but also has given me the freedom to become independent and grow into the person I am today. In the city, I was a stranger to most but here in this town I get to be a part of a tight-knit community that I love.
