What is it about a small town that can help us curb the spread of a virus? Is living in a small town safer? And, is all this change going to affect how we interact as a community?

Two words. Population density. Population density is a major consideration when it comes to the spread of viruses. As we saw in the early stages, viruses spread rapidly in dense populations like major cities. Small town life allows us to interact with our community and get what we need without having to expose ourselves to lots of risks. What are some of the things we can learn, especially from the small-town life of the past, that can help us today?

Obtain Products Locally
If you remember in April when covid first began to spread many of the meatpacking facilities had to shut down. The cost of meat immediately doubled, or more. This wasn’t the only supply chain affected. Milk and produce also were interrupted. Huge waste occurred. And the virus spread quickly through large facilities. This highlights the need for small-scale local production as opposed to large-scale production and transport. In most of the world, local food production is still very much a reality. By obtaining as many goods as we can from our community we grow our local economy, and ensure that they don’t have to travel through lots of hands to get to us. 

Return of the Schoolhouse
We all know that it wasn’t too long ago every neighborhood had its schoolhouse and it contained a small number of students, and a teacher or two. The tiny schoolhouse has its benefits. Students create bonds with the local community, and teachers are very accessible to the parents. This prior model is ideal in a world where large masses of people is not a good idea. It may be possible that students going back to school this fall is the major contributor to the numbers skyrocketing again. I’m sure people will resist switching to the small schoolhouse model, finding it difficult to justify the expense of current large schools. But, it seems that the mass production of our children’s education is no longer in our best interest.

The Resurgence of the Small Business
The shift in our society since the onset of covid-19 has been devastating. Families have lost loved ones and livelihoods. But, this change in our lifestyle is going to present new economic opportunities. If we can roll with these changes, maybe people can find growth within our communities. 

The idea of getting in my car and going to the store is not appealing to me. Fighting traffic for 45 minutes, bustling through a parking lot to grab ahold of a shopping cart that 200 other people have held that day, push it through a crowded store trying not to touch anything, knowing that we’re all sharing the same immediate space and everyone has got their hands on everything anyway! I know I would love to have someone delivering milk, eggs, and bread. Yes, large companies are rushing in to pay people next to nothing to grocery shop for you and bring it to your door, and they charge you a fortune to have it delivered. 

We don’t have to let it go this way. The situation presents opportunities. I would rather pay a local person to deliver my food from a local grocery store. When that large company isn’t skimming 90% of the delivery, everyone else makes out better in the end.

By taking some lessons from our roots, and considering how these changes in our lives are going to affect us on a local scale, as well as a global scale, it will be possible for us to affect the way our community cares for itself. Maybe we could be stronger than ever.

Twin Tiers Living welcomes Mathew to the Local Writer's section. His blog, RambleNewYork.com, offers a look at some of the best New York State has to offer. Born and raised in Upstate New York, Mathew lives in a wooded valley north of the Susquehanna River with his wife and kids. His first book "Simple Sutras" was published in 2014.