Growing up, I thought everyone loved Sparta- I mean, what's not to like? We have a great center of town, it's very safe, there's a ton of kids to hang out with. I didn't see any bad sides, but apparently I'm in the minority with that opinion. In marketing, we had to create a poll and send it out to our class. Me, being curious on the subject, chose "Future Living Locations" as my topic. The results were very surprising. For the question, "On a scale of 1-8, how much would you want to live in Sparta when you grow up?", almost 75% of the answered recorded were between 1 and 4.
I think this was so surprising because I have a very narrow view on the world. All my cousins and extended family live in the suburbs, and the only city I have visited is NYC, and just day trips. I don't know much about life outside the suburbs and the options they create, and since I'm happy here in Sparta, I just figured I will probably end up in the suburbs in my future, and since I'll be in the suburbs, it might as well be in Sparta. Another question in my marketing poll was "What do you dislike about Sparta?". It was an open-ended response, but honestly, the answers didn't help me much. The most common responses were "it's boring" and "the people"(privilege, racism, political issues). Honestly, I think you could poll any town in America, and get both of those answers. Growing up in a town, it makes sense that you could grow bored of it since you have explored every nook and cranny of it. However, I really don't think Sparta could be considered boring. We have a lake, a boardwalk, a bowling alley, a movie theatre, and tons of parks are restaurants. Many other towns aren't al lucky to have all the things we do, and I think many Spartans take it for granted. Overall, I still believe that I would be happy living in Sparta, even if nobody else agrees.
I love Sparta as well. It's a great place to raise kids. I don't know if I would live here as opposed to somewhere based on the issues I have faced, but you have the very true point that the issues of racism and privilege occur everywhere even in more diverse communities.
ReplyDeleteI think most teenagers want to leave the place they grew up and see other things, but many of them will come back. They'll realize that the grass isn't necessarily greener and that Sparta is a great little town!
ReplyDeletePersonally, I enjoy Sparta and its people and it is a great place to settle down. We have great schools and parks and community here, however, I am much more accustomed to a more urban environment where everything is in walking distance. But that is just my preference.
ReplyDeleteEver since I moved to Sparta I've really enjoyed it here even when at first I never wanted to go. It's a good town with tons of great places. I don't know where I want to live when I'm older, I want to get out to different places but I have a feeling I may end up staying right here.
ReplyDeleteI think Sparta is a great place to grow up, but I could never see myself living here forever. The world is huge, and Sparta is just one little town.
ReplyDeleteSparta does have a lot that makes it not boring, and is a perfect town to grow up in or raise kids. But personally, I would want to move out of Sparta when I am older and experience other areas and states. But I am still very grateful to have grown up here.
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