What is life like in an average small town in your country?
Posted by Antique_Birthday6380@reddit | AskBalkans | View on Reddit | 21 comments
I’m curious about how they usually look (architecturally), what kind of traditions or local culture people keep, and what the main sources of income or jobs are like in your country.
ConnectionCrafty4043@reddit
I live in the region of Macedonia in northern Greece. We have some very traditional stone build villages here to stand the cold and the heat. You cannot find them anywhere else in Greece. Unfortunately i live in a nearby village (at least it is close to the sea) but as it was made from the refugees in the 1920s it lacks the typical Macedonian architecture that i love. Its quite flat and boring. 🥲
Substantial-Peach-90@reddit
Name of a village for example?
BurgurluGenc031@reddit
For boyabat i can say its like mini city. Most people know most people,even supermarkets and other bussiness know eachother. Like a one shop dont have something u ask,they send another shop even if their are like bussiness rival of your. Ä°f u coming from outside of town they re very helpful,at summer or near summer times they make carnivals which is fun. Oxygen is clean thx god. Education level is good,local schools directly have dome high quality which is nice. Local council have a building that acts like mini AVM including marriage place,cinema,theatre or basically general art education places,a game salloon eith bowling,pitball etc. Also they have a big ass castle :D (yes they re still a town)
SwimmingHelicopter15@reddit
I woul pick a village over a small town any time in my country.
Small town arhitecturally are communist blocks and old houses, you don't have much. Maybe a park and a communist monument. Churches but except a few in Moldova most of them are not something special.
People keep some religious traditions and that's it.
Main sources are usually goverment jobs, working abroad, goverment assistance.
kiki885@reddit
Bold words.
SwimmingHelicopter15@reddit
You did not visit small towns in Romania. At least in a village I could have a garden and have heat from wood then starve in the cold in a tiny apartament.
kiki885@reddit
Wow. I'm shocked. :p Here, almost the entire youth from most villages gravitate towards the nearest town, which is most often a small one. Living in a small town is way more preferable for 90% of people. Half the people I can think of who live in villages go to work in the nearest town every day anyway.
And based on the other comments, I had no reasons to think It's much different anywhere else :p
SwimmingHelicopter15@reddit
No. Romania has still the highest percent of rural population at 43%. And a lot of people do not work because of lack of opportunities. Mostly just do agriculture.
And yeah we have an unique situation. There was a village where the mayor really was good, like used EU funds to build roads and got to companies to open there and people from the small town around come there to work because everything shut down in their town except betting.
kiki885@reddit
Wow, incomprehensible to me. Working in a supermarket and commuting every day from a village to a town is preferable to most people than agriculture. Agriculture is basically the least desirable of them all, only a certain kind of person stays to take care of their land or, even worse, working for your neighbor in your village and taking care of his land for money.
Odd-Future1037@reddit
Boring. Everyone knows everyone else, everyone’s in everyone else’s business. Most people work for government, local supermarket or local factory. Everyone also has some land in the family so they have an agricultural side gig. Also some go to work in the west for 6-8 months then come on extended vacation until they run out of money, then they leave again.
123provaa@reddit
The same here.
Archaeopteryx111@reddit
Sounds about right for most of the country.
mihacamper@reddit
In Slovenia rural life is pretty much the same as cities minus the events/nightlife and less privacy. Also most people have cars and drive to work as opposed to public transport near the towns.
Early-Show2886@reddit
I envy all my relatives who live in the Balkans and Turkey; they live in small towns—which may be boring, admittedly—but the rural surroundings and the lifestyle itself are much more beautiful. They are more relaxed and happier than we are in the diaspora.
Uat_Da_Fak@reddit
Don't believe naysayers. Live in small town Romania is awesome.
fancywipe@reddit
Romania is the bomb
Substratas@reddit
https://i.redd.it/is6dl5jnp91h1.gif
No-Championship-4632@reddit
Boring as f*ck.
WorldlinessRadiant77@reddit
Opportunities are limited, as even a prosperous small town depends on a single industry for employment. Retailers also usually overcharge the residents, because they have no other choice besides driving to the nearest city.
People mostly live in hoses, but the style, age and size vary widely.
kuhinjski@reddit
First and most important, you have a 50yo mayor who has been a part of every ruling party for the past 30 years and is now a part of SNS. Hes a local sheriff and if you want to get any kind of job you have to a) f*ck him b) vote for the party and go to party meetings. His wife is usually a school principal but he also has an ex wife whos a principal at another school. He wins every election, but since thats not enough, he also wins the annual contest for the prettiest garden in the city. Likely a pedo. His son likely killed someone and never went to jail.
You live a miserable life and then you die.
CompleteAnimal4606@reddit
It is boring af