My husband and I have lived all over the US and in Asia. We both grew up in little bitty towns 30 miles apart. As a teen I couldn't wait to get out. Once I saw the world I realized that a little piece of heaven still exits in these little towns all over the world and there is no place better to raise your children. Sometimes it can be frustrating that we had to travel for entertainment and that your neighbors know everything about you, but the trade off is worth it.

When there is a death in the family for example, the entire community pulls together and is a wonderful source of support. When my father died, the we didnt have to cook or shop for over a month.

Recently a new family moved into town. The husband was injured at work (works in the woods) without the benefit of workman's comp and the town supported them until they were back on their feet.

This type of support isn't charity, it's sticking together to get through the hard times, everyone has hard times from time to time.

We spend the summers in my home town. When the kids were small they always thought that they were getting away with something because they were allowed to go to the park and play ground without supervision... or so they thought. They never did figure out that these places were within sight of my grandmother and they were being watched every second.

We currently live in a slightly larger community, but still small enough that when a very expensive computer was delivered to the house and we weren't home they delivered it to the neighbor. I had a note on the door when I got home. Could that happen in the city?