15 Things You Know If You Live In A Big City But Grew Up In A Small Town

You're allowed to love both. And in Ottawa, you can have both at once.

1. You're used to having this in your backyard:

Meech Lake / Orchidpoet / via Getty Images

The only water sound you wake up to in the city is your neighbour's shower running. Still, that's something.

2. So you'll look for any excuse to get outside of the city.

@cheerscharlie / @jppham87 / Via instagram.com

Bike riding, canoeing, bush walks, unlimited stretching: anywhere you can actually move.

3. You definitely appreciate that you never run out of things to see and do in a big city...

Parliament Hill / via Ottawa Tourism

Museums, galleries, festivals, live music, endless restaurants to try — why wouldn't you want to live here?

4. ...but you wish you could combine it with the peace and quiet of a small town.

Rideau Canal / Christopheledent / via Getty Images

Ottawa is your dream city, because it just does that.

5. You'll take starlight over bright lights any day.

Canada Science and Technology Museum / Ingenium / via Ottawa Tourism

Cities might have those inspiring sparkly skylines, but when you have small-town energy in your heart, you'll always long for a blanket of stars.

6. Sometimes when you're stuck in traffic, you close your eyes and transport yourself to an empty road.

@brintonphotography / Via instagram.com

Or at least to a city that isn't choked with traffic, even in the middle of downtown. Perhaps a city like...Ottawa?

7. And you miss how everything is just cleaner in a small town.

Ottawa Locks / Ale72 / via Getty Images

Cleaner and prettier. No offense to the big cities, but it's true. Ottawa is one of the cleanest cities in the world.

8. You know where to find all the best foliage spots in your city.

Eagle's Nest Lookout / Ottawa Tourism

You need a daily dose of plant therapy just to get by.

9. You cherish the quieter methods of public transportation.

Gatineau Park / @szetoszeto / Via instagram.com

It's hard to find personal space in a big city.

10. You long for the days when going out on a Friday night was actually a wholesome time.

Parliament Hill / Steven_kriemadis / via Getty Images

Small-town Friday nights: Everyone loves everyone, the bartender is somehow related to your family, and the kids you used to babysit give you a ride home.

Big-city Friday nights: Absolutely not.

11. As delicious as big-city eats are, you always go back to foods that remind you of home...

@polishedoff_ / Via instagram.com

Again, and again, and again.

12. ...and you miss your local coffee spot knowing your order and getting it started as soon as you walk in the door.

Little Victories Coffee / via Ottawa Tourism

Remember how it made you feel like a total celebrity?

13. City sunrises and sunsets are lovely, sure. But they'll never beat the magical displays you saw in your hometown.

Ottawa Locks / Neil Robertson / via Ottawa Tourism

No skyscrapers blocking the views.

14. Let's be fair: Nothing beats the buzz of a big city at night.

@nicholasplacephoto / Via instagram.com

Small towns tend to sleep early. Not Ottawa.

15. But you know that no matter where you live in the world, you'll always be a small-town person at heart.

Rideau Canal / Andrew Szeto / via Ottawa Tourism

<3

For small-town vibes in a big city, you've gotta visit Ottawa.