Living in One Place, Generally

I moved to Texas one week before my 13th birthday. It’s been more than ten years since then and I still feel like I don’t know very much about the town I live in. Granted, there are two huge reasons for this. First is the four year diversion I took up in Huntsville, TX (college, not the state prison - I was surprised how often I had to clarify that to people). The second would be that I didn’t start driving until I was already in college. I am far more intimately familiar with the roads, back-routes, landmarks, and holes-in-the-wall in Huntsville than I am with the town I live in. I attribute this to the fact that - unfortunately - our towns and cities are built around cars and car infrastructure to the utter exclusion of people who don’t drive, therefore if you don’t drive then you are not allowed to participate in society. I didn’t drive in my hometown, I did drive in Huntsville - therefore I am more acquainted with Huntsville.

There’s also the possibility that the reason I feel more familiar with Huntsville is that there is simply less to know. From 2017 when I enrolled to 2020 when I graduated, Huntsville grew from 41,000 to 45,000 people. In that same time frame, my hometown grew from 109,000 to 114,000. So perhaps I shouldn’t be surprised to hear that tourists will come from across the country to my town just to birdwatch. I knew we had an eagle family that lived in the trees nearby, but apparently we have many other types of rare birds that avian enthusiasts with notepads, illustrated books, and various sizes of binoculars want to come see. I don’t know the first thing about birdwatching.

I’ve had friends (all women) tell me that our mall is their favorite shopping excursion, especially compared to where they live. I could tell you exactly two (2) things I have bought from our mall in the past 10 (ten) years: a cheap pleather jacket that I bought when I was maybe 16; and a cheap sweater when I was 22. I could not tell you why someone would go out of their way to make a day-trip to our mall, but tourists can know more than locals.

I’ve had friends tell me their favorite places to party are in my town. They love coming here for the weekend for good drinks and live music. On the perhaps twice- or thrice-annual times I actually do go out drinking, I already know the exact bar crawl I’m doing. That list is heavily influenced by those bars being on the same street - they’re all within a walkable distance of each other. Out-of-towners will tell me about bars, clubs, and parties that I’ve never even heard of and have no clue how they found out about them. Sometimes tourists know more than locals.

I’ve had friends tell me that they will come down to my town for the great food. This I know a bit more about than birdwatching and barhopping. There are a ton of great sit-down restaurants and a splattering of food trucks to sate your hunger. Yet even still, people who don’t live here will tell me about great restaurants they’ve visited here and I never knew they existed. Part of this is because new places are always opening up (I do love the perks of a growing town!) so it isn’t always surprising to learn of a new place. The weird part is when it’s not a new restaurant, I had just never heard of it. Sometimes tourists know more than locals.

But why?

My first thought is twofold: occasions, and routines. When you only do something once every few months, or even once a year, you plan it out more and want it to be memorable and worthwhile - you’re also willing to spend more money on it. Whereas with the mundane, you just need to get through the day and the way it worked last time is just as good this time. I also don’t have the requisite income to enjoy the real attractions of my town. I could never justify a $200 dinner for one just for one night. I order from my usual restaurants, and I cook many of my own meals at home. (An increasing number of meals too, since my dad just gifted me an InstantPot on my last birthday; great for meal prep).

I am not a birdwatching hobbyist, I can’t tell apart different species of flora or fauna, I don’t find the available shopping at my mall appealing in the slightest (the food court is the best part), I already know the places I like to (occasionally) drink at, and I don’t care much for club music. I have my routines, my favorites, my go-to’s, it’s a higher threshold to change established routines than it is to go somewhere new for the first time and settle on a fresh itinerary. Tourists are looking for novelty, excitement, something or some experience they can’t get in their own town. That’s not what any local is after. Daily novelty is called chaos.

Once again, I come back to the distinction between generalists and specialists. When it comes to your own town, you're a generalist - you can find anything you need to live and work in your own town. The mundane: the best groceries that you like; where to get your oil changed; who to talk to for plumbing work; which financial advisor works best for your goals; where you go to church. You go to other towns for one reason, you stay home for everything else. When it comes to other towns, you’re a specialist - you go to this town because they have the best something. It’s the only place in your state that you can find a roseate spoonbill! It’s got the best microbrewery scene for stouts and porters that you can find! It’s got the best hotels and resorts to vacation at or attend a convention.

The specialist will always out-compete the generalist in their area of competency, but the generalist is much more comfortable adapting and going with the flow. I don’t know about every unique club, restaurant, or vacation spot in my town - but I do know which parts of town I would like to live in, the local restaurants that are worth taking a chance on, and where to go if my usual haunt is closed for the day. You don’t put all your eggs in one basket when you’re a generalist. You know your own town, and you know how to get around each day. If plans change it’s no big deal - you know other options about where to go. Generalists are resilient, specialists are effective.

Being comfortable in my own town is better than being dependent on a single thing in another.