There are kids who grew up in the country, and then there are country kids. If you know, you know.
And beyond a shadow of a doubt, there’s a big difference between kids who had easy access to town and those who wouldn’t think twice about flagging down a stranger’s truck just to hop in the back for a ride into town.
How Country Kids Experience the World
Country-kid memories come in every form: the sounds, the tastes, and the smells. Especially the smells.
Farm Kid on Tractor
READ MORE: 21 Photos of Life in Small-Town America During the ’70s
There’s also a sense of freedom you can’t take for granted, and plenty of things out there that can hurt you. (If you’ve ever been up close and personal with a combine, you get it). Instinct isn’t optional; it’s necessary for survival.
Even the quiet is loud. Spend a summer night in a cornfield, and you’ll quickly realize just how deafening the chorus of crickets can be.
Freedom Comes With a Learning Curve
Perhaps the most striking part of growing up country are the life lessons you learn day by day.
Farm Pets Become Dinner
READ MORE: Photos That Take You Back to Summers in Your Grandparents’ Yard
From realizing the animals around you can be both pets and dinner, to knowing exactly where you belong (and where you don’t), to understanding the unspoken social rules of the pool hall and the field parties.
Things have changed a lot, though. In the 1970s, roughly one-quarter of Americans lived in rural areas. By 2020, only about 20% still lived out where the country roads really do take you home.
27 Things You’ll Instantly Recognize If You Grew Up a Country Kid
From back-of-the-truck rides to farm chores, loud summer nights, and learning that some “pets” become dinner, these are the moments every country kid remembers.
Gallery Credit: Stephen Lenz
20 Photos That Perfectly Capture Small-Town Life in the 1970s
Take a trip down memory lane — and down Main Street — with these photos from the 1970s that capture small-town life before social media and smartphones, when things were simpler, slower, and full of real-world experiences.
Gallery Credit: Stephen Lenz
