Almost the Same Place

Imagine the college life, the way people live, act, and even think. Now imagine that you are located only three miles from one of the oldest college universities in the country. If you have now pictured this, you are now located in the outskirts of Athens, Ohio in a little town called Millfield, Ohio. A quiet area in entirely that has a big city feel right in its backyard. This is the town of a fellow classmate named Nicole who has made a home here for many different reasons and has no desire to leave anytime soon.
The town described as a small, country lifestyle with many added benefits of its location. The university has provided a new element to how this town functions, mostly centered on it, a sense of community is built through the school which in other ways is lost once outside of the city limits. Nicole has more than made a home in this town but has made a career and a strong network of friends and co-workers. Being located next to such has provided its ups and downs. The increased growth associated with the university has caused many improvements and down falls.
Growth is an essential part of society for many aspects in life and the growth within a town or community has presented many joys and concerns. A small town attitude is greatly valued in Millfield and in Athens which has brought concerns of expansion such a businesses and infrastructure. The people of this town enjoy the way of living and value that it stays the same. A laid back atmosphere is automatically noticed when observing this area, and this is something that is appreciated by all that live in the area. When a sudden change may occur they find it hard to react and adjust their lifestyles for something they really did not want from the beginning. From an outsider looking in, this would be a wonderful place to live, but like everything there are faults and people have learned to accept them and are willing to move forward from them and this is now considered my new home also.
The city of Athens and its surrounding areas are greatly centered on Ohio University and it has made it a very wonderful place to live or go to school. Thousands of new students flock to Ohio University each year for several different reasons but at the end of the day we all live or work in the surrounding area because they feel comfortable and love being able to call this place home. The small, comfortable town has presence that can be seen through almost every person walking up and down the streets, greeting each other with a simple smile or hello that has set a community feeling inside everyone and makes this place even better. They are proud to say where they are from and Nicole was no expectation to this in any way. The troubles and concerns seem to be overlooked and people continue to live their lives as they feel is best and the town as a whole is growing and it may be start to something that is incredible and life changing for many.