Small Town Living

Small town living is something new to me. Growing up and spending 30 plus years in Brooklyn, New York with its population of 4.5 million people, and then living in the San Francisco Bay Area, California for the next 32 years kind of makes me a city slicker.

I needed to return to my East Coast roots. In 2007 I came back for the change of seasons, where I could be in touch with the cycle of life. Where preparing for the next season becomes an enjoyable way of life -- putting away the hammock and getting wood cut and stacked for a long, cold winter; watching the days grow shorter as the flowers die back and the leaves fall, followed by snow, lots of snow. Then comes the thaw, Spring arrives, the robin appears and the hummingbirds return to build their nests to raise their young. Getting ready for planting season, becoming aware of the smell of fresh-cut grass, watching new growth stick its head up in the garden, seeing new flowers and leaves on the trees, breaking out the Summer clothes and putting the heavy sweaters away, and putting that hammock back up. Ah, the familiar newness of it all.

Having a choice of 169 cities and towns in Connecticut in which to live, I chose Hampton, one of the smallest. Only 2,034 people living in 709 households? No problem, I can live with that. Only a General Store, a Post Office, a church and a Town Hall that's open only two days a week? No problem. No traffic light and only two stop signs in the whole town? Again, no problem. I'll adjust and cope with the laid-back beauty of it all.

Hampton was settled in the early 18th Century, when the first settlers were primarily farmers. Their houses, barns and sheds, all built on stone foundations, are still scattered throughout the area. Windham County, in which Hampton is situated, is 75% agricultural, and cattle are still raised and bred. The history in this "quiet corner" goes back to a time when the call came to declare independence from England and men went to battle in the Revolutionary War.

In a way, not much has changed. I mean, the war is history now, but people still hunt; plow the fields to raise their own food; make their own clothes, soap, honey, maple syrup and jewelry; decorate their homes with their art; home-school their children; build their own barns with help from their neighbors, and so on. A hardy talented and ambitious bunch, these neighbors of mine, and I am proud to live among them while I try out this small town country boy living....

Jimmy Halloran is Co-Owner of ConnecticutHandiworks.com, an online retailer featuring handcrafted items made in Connecticut.

jimmy130@live.com  /  860.942.7571  / 

PO Box 26 Hampton, CT.

  06247