Do Small Towns Have Their Own Culture?
Before we even get into the meat and potato’s of what it’s like to live on a farm, lets discuss what farm culture is. Because it is a thing.
There’s a certain culture in the city and there is a certain culture on the farm. It’s a little like a mission trip. If you were to go on a mission trip for a month in another country or part of the world different from where you are from, you would experience an entirely different culture. Farming is like that.
You can try to move to the country from the city and pretend to be a farmer, but in reality, if you are not born and raised in the culture, you will never quite understand it. You’ll never be an actual farmer. Whoh! Slow down, right? That’s offensive. Reality is, you will farm, and do all the things, but the culture is not innate. Your children will. They will have been born and raised in the culture and will have an innate understanding of farm culture.
What is Farm Culture?
So, you say, what is that culture? Farm culture varies from town to town, community to community. If you were on a mission trip to another country, you would notice the different dialects in different areas. Different habits, housing and ways of living would be different depending on region.
That’s the same for farming communities. A lot of that is based on heritage. We live in a German and Polish community where most are roman catholic. The people here have a unique understanding of one another, they eat a lot of the same foods, drink the same beer and speak the same slang.
Those who have grown up here understand it, those who are transplants have a harder time adjusting. Oftentimes in small communities where farming is the focus, the families stay nearby. They don’t move too far which means there are a lot of relations. Which makes the culture continue on.
What does Rural Living Look Like?
Rural living looks like Where the Red Fern Grows, and The Walton’s mixed Grease, Fargo and Monty Pythons Holy Grail (just because there is some really wierd things that you hear about in small rural communities). One time, my friends sisters husband tried killing her with a 2×4. Things like that. He went to prison. Those same things happen in larger cities, but you just dont hear about it.
When a member of the community passes away in a tragic way, everyone feels it. Everyone rally’s around the hurting family members. When the weather ruins homes, or crops, the community comes together to sandbag or help cut fallen trees. People show up on your doorstep with pie’s and produce they have in abundance.
How do you Adjust to Rural Living?
There was a time in my life when I lived in San Diego. 70 degrees and sunny every day. You could plan a picnic 7 years from now and it’s almost guaranteed you’ll have sunny and 70 degree weather. It was a great city to live in, loved every moment.
When I moved back to rural Minnesota I could not believe how slow people drove. It was like Sunday drivers everyday, everywhere. It drove me crazy. People even talked slow. People asked way too many questions. Always wanted to be ‘up in my business’. People always smiled and waved. Super friendly, all the time, everywhere. Even when they weren’t friendly, they were friendly.
After being back for a while (with plans to move back to SD), I realized I loved that. I loved that people always waved. I loved that they would just come and visit. No call, no text. I loved that I could make white bread oscar meyer ham sanwhiches (because it’s all I had on hand for some reason) and pepole didnt care. People didnt care how you dressed, smelled or what you drove. You could be so free. Life is slower in the rural areas of the world. Not so rushed. Not so stressful and definatly not crowed. I never made it back to SD but still visit occasionally.
Why I drove a Red Dented Geo Metro
In the country, a man will own multiple vehicles. He can have a brand new Ford Raptor sitting in his garage and drive a p.o.s red, dented, exhaustless Geo Metro around and still have friends. Friends do not care what you own. You don’t have to care what you own either.
That’s part of farm culture. I am not suggesting you strive for the crappy car with expectation that it’s going to gain you friendships. That not what I’m saying. Most people in rural communities have at least one junkier car or truck with dents and different colored tailgates and hoods, and a newer, pretty vehicle. That’s common and it’s a great.
Country folk also have many toys. A toy might mean four-wheelers, go-carts, side by sides, and whatever else they like to change oil on because you don’t own the toys unless you have a good understanding of how to fix them.
Personally, we have a nice F350 truck and a farm truck we call ‘The ‘89’ for hauling wood and snowplowing. We have a van to get everyone to church on Sunday and a small car for driving to work in the Twin Cities. We also have another small car…for no good reason at all. And we have a mini bus we are renovating in our spare time. That’s just the list of vehicles insured and does not include the 4 four-wheelers, side by side and tractors, skid loader, etc. Note that all these things need oil changes, tune ups and they all break occasionally. Mechanical knowledge is a must in farm culture.
Note: The Geo didn’t live a long life. Especially after hitting a few too many raccoons on dark nights on the back roads. It served it’s purpose and has since been laid to rest.
How to get Accepted in a Small Rural Community
Let’s face it, if you aren’t related to half your neighbors, it’s not likely you will ever fully ‘fit in’. People in small communities are very close-minded and have a hard time allowing others to join in. This is the honest truth. BUT it doesn’t have to be that way. I have seen many people adjust to rural living and get ‘accepted’ into the community. It just takes time.
Tips for Fitting Into A Small Town
- Find a part-time job at the local watering hole to get to know people.
- Make yourself a regular at the local café. Leave a nice tip every time.
- Help generously in the community.
- Figure out who the ‘richest’ farmers are and get to know them. They will guide you and like you when you give them a little attention (telling them how great they are and learning all you can from them).
- Help your neighbors, all the time. Bake a loaf of bread for them.
- Be the one to bring a fresh strawberry pie to their house in July.
- Bring them your extra harvest.
- Visit the library often. Because librarians are super helpful and know more than you think!
- Participate in local events.
- Own a vintage vehicle and drive it around town for others to adore.
- Be a local firefighter.
- Work at the local flower shop. They do all the funerals. You’ll get to know last names.
- Visit the tellers at the bank often and be real cheerful with them. Women like to talk.
- Always show respect to those you meet.
What NOT to do in a Small Town
Settling into small rural communities take work. It will not happen overnight. But what can happen overnight is a bad reputation. There are a few things you need to know about what not to do in a small town.
- Do not get drunk and be erratic.
- Do not take another mans wife. Ever. Anywhere. Anytime. That’s just common knowledge right? Big city or small.
- Do not be grumpy all the time. Cheerful people are a joy to be around. Smile often.
- Do not speed though town.
- Do not tell others how to do something. They need to show you first. Remember, you need to gain their trust. No show off all you know.
- Do not be prideful.
- Do not swear so much.
- Do not cross property lines without permission. There is country knowledge of fence ownership. Check into it with your neighbor.
- Do not expect others to respect you at first.
- Do not ask to borrow things from the neighbors until they have invited you over.
- Do not overcharge your neighbors
- Do not put up a privacy fence for goodness sakes!
Understanding a Small Town
Now that you have been shown a little of insight into a small town, I hope you can feel confident moving into one. It can be hard to understand a new culture, but with persistence and the utmost respect to the humans who live there, it’s a win, win!
