I live in Rural America, specifically small town Michigan. Where you go from farmland to small tourist cities. There is no big city malls, no Wal-mart, Target, or even an Applebee’s. Anywhere you need to go, you have to drive to get to. Despite that I live in one of the most beautiful places in the world surrounded by water. My “city” is surrounded by water. Beautiful Lake Michigan to one side, and Lake Charlevoix on the other. Everywhere you go you can find a beach to dip your toes in. My neighborhood, reflects the idea of small town. Houses are not stacked upon one another. They aren’t cookie cutter houses that are built the same. They are older homes, some of them being updated and remodeled some of them being older. Most homes have basements. Full Basements that you can see from the road. Many houses in the neighborhood have older aluminum siding. We have houses every color you can imagine in the blocks that surround my house. Most of the houses have yards. Yards with trampolines, and playsets. Some people have gardens, and fences for their animals. The houses resemble Middle America. Hard working people who work to make a living and are either raising families or have raised families. On any given day you will see kids running up and down the streets. You will also see people walking dogs, biking and rollerblading. Neighbors know neighbors and you can recognize who fits in and who doesn’t belong. You will see someone grilling outside and wave, or even someone that is walking their dog from a few blocks down and smile pleasantly. The lawns are kept in decent condition. Nobody has leaves piled up from fall time. Green grass is kept mowed and under control. If people have plants and bushes in their yards they are kept trimmed down. It isn’t a beautiful neighborhood that you drive into and think wow look at the nice homes, but one you drive into and think you can tell this would be a good place to raise a family. It’s quiet, peaceful and, and safe. While only average looking, it is exceptional for the fact that it represents what people want in the world, which is a safe place to land at the end of the day. Within walking distance there is the county sheriff’s department and jail. The Health department is just next to that. The city recycling center sits just down the road, and neighbors and residents from around the city utilize the services they provide. We have baseball and softball fields nearby where you can hear the announcers keeping score and calling the names of players. Our small town airport is next to that. You can be playing outside, or even inside and hear the rumbles of small engine planes taking off and landing. You can walk to get ice cream from the local ice cream place, and if you are really into it you can make it downtown from our neighborhood of homes. My kids can ride their bikes to the park which is only 8 blocks or so away. It is a really great place to live.
