Living in a small rural town is hard. Jobs are often difficult to come by (in the Northwest this is particularly true of towns that have suffered the slow fall of the timber industry.) The county where I grew up, Siskiyou county, currently has an unemployment rate north of 18 percent. And yet, there are small towns where, well you might not have a good job, but you have something else which has tremendous value. Here is the view from near the top of my run this afternoon above Yreka, CAThe volcano to the right is Mt. Shasta and the one to the left is Goosenest (a great place to camp and see the Perseids.)
What a beautiful place to grow up! I’m from rural(ish) N. Ca as well – Nevada County, not quite as scenic as Shasta. I miss it, though!