Changes

Another face lift is taking place in the Little Town. The insurance company building across the street from where I am employed is undergoing exterior construction. It was once a service station and was converted to house a real estate/insurance company several years ago. I reckon the face lift will erase all signs of the building ever having been a gas station.

Most lifelong Little Town citizens are adverse to change in the Little Town. However, more and more city folks are discovering our little community and think it is the ideal place to retire. Families are moving in because of the small town values our Little Town has to offer as well as the school system. The crime rate is almost nonexistant. Jobs are hard to come by in the Little Town and a lot of people have to commute to the larger towns to bring home the bacon. I guess my biggest bitch about city folks buying property in our county is that it is driving my property taxes up and up and up. Gas is more expensive here than it should be as are groceries. But I guess it is the price we pay for being so far from any metro area.

The nearest WalMart is 50 miles away. Most folks from the Little Town will travel between 50 and 110 miles to see specialists for their check-ups and ailments. We do have a Sonic and a Church's Chicken Place. Also have a McDonald's. Interstate traffic supports those businesses. The locals stick to the tried-and-true Dairy Queen. The only movie theater in town was closed several years ago for remodeling and never re-opened. It is a given that teenagers will go to neighboring towns for entertainment. Been there, done that.

As more new folks move to our county, change will be inevitable and we will adjust accordingly. The Little Town has potential to evolve into a thriving community. But until the Little Town can support its own WalMart, the Dollar General will do just fine.