What Does it Mean To Be a Local?
Have you ever had someone visiting your town ask if you were a local? I’m sure most people who are visiting are asking because if you are from the area, you will be able to recommend great places to eat, or a nice place to stay, or suggest some fun activities to do, but a local knows much more than that.
A local can tell you about the soul of a town that is found through its people, its history, and its traditions. I grew up in a small town in Connecticut. I am so grateful for growing up there because it was an ideal place for a child. We lived on Indian Cave rd. It was named that because the road merged into a wood that had an avalanched Indian cave and an abandoned sawmill. I spent so many peaceful hours on the ledge of that cave watching the stream flow by below. I played in streams with massive king snakes that were more focused on staying cool than on whether I was a threat. The Eastern Ski Jump Championship was held on the other side of the wood, so my sisters and I would sled down the massive hill on aluminum.
There was a private lake on Mt. Riga where the water was so clean that your skin felt smooth when you came out. We also sledded down Mt. Riga in the winter. There was also factory pond where most of the town came out on winter nights to make smores on the fire and skate on the pond.
