I’ve lived in the same relatively unremarkable suburb my whole life. I’ll be referring to this town as “Smallville” in the discussion that follows as a mere placeholder to guard my immediate privacy to some extent.
Born in the hospital of a neighboring suburb to the north of my hometown, I was ushered home by my parents to Smallville, where I grew up. Located in the proverbial flyover country of the Midwest and nestled between more sprawling, affluent, and generally noteworthy neighbors, it is a town easily forgotten and ignored — passed over. (more…)