# What is exactly a small town or rural girl? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [May 10, 2012, 6:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-exactly-a-small-town-or-rural-girl/621534 "2012-05-10T18:15:52Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Diamonds02](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b5a626/32.png) [@Diamonds02](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diamonds02)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2012, 6:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-exactly-a-small-town-or-rural-girl/621534/1 "2012-05-10T18:15:52Z")
I’ve always assumed it was just a girl from a small town or comes from a farming background. But some of the contexts I’ve been hearing it in, I know it means something much more. A friend was bragging how he banged this girl. He said he actually like her and wants to date her for several reasons. One of the reasons is that she’s a “small town girl”. ---
**Author:** ![PacifistPorcupine](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/7ea924/32.png) [@PacifistPorcupine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PacifistPorcupine)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2012, 6:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-exactly-a-small-town-or-rural-girl/621534/2 "2012-05-10T18:18:05Z")
Maybe you should ask your friend what he meant. ---
**Author:** ![Sicks\_Ate](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/258eb7/32.png) [@Sicks\_Ate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sicks_Ate)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2012, 6:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-exactly-a-small-town-or-rural-girl/621534/3 "2012-05-10T18:22:06Z")
Perhaps he means that she’s unpretentious. Or has conservative values that he likes. Or she’s less materialistic. Or she is familiar with difficult physical work. I picture ‘small town girl’ as…I suppose ‘uncomplicated’ is the word. ---
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2012, 6:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-exactly-a-small-town-or-rural-girl/621534/4 "2012-05-10T18:32:35Z")
She’s a MaryAnn in a world full of Gingers. ---
**Author:** ![Sicks\_Ate](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/258eb7/32.png) [@Sicks\_Ate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sicks_Ate)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2012, 6:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-exactly-a-small-town-or-rural-girl/621534/5 "2012-05-10T18:33:56Z")
> [@tdn](#): > > She’s a MaryAnn in a world full of Gingers. What happens to a MaryAnn when it steals a soul?? ---
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2012, 6:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-exactly-a-small-town-or-rural-girl/621534/6 "2012-05-10T18:38:11Z")
I give up, what happens to a MaryAnn when it steals a soul? ---
**Author:** ![Sicks\_Ate](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/258eb7/32.png) [@Sicks\_Ate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sicks_Ate)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2012, 6:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-exactly-a-small-town-or-rural-girl/621534/7 "2012-05-10T18:42:21Z")
I have no idea! All I know is that [gingers get a freckle for every soul they steal.](http://weknowmemes.com/tag/ginger-meme/) ---
**Author:** ![Leaffan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leaffan/32/299_2.png) [@Leaffan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaffan)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2012, 6:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-exactly-a-small-town-or-rural-girl/621534/8 "2012-05-10T18:42:44Z")
Well she was born in a small town And she lives in a small town Prob’ly die in a small town ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2012, 6:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-exactly-a-small-town-or-rural-girl/621534/9 "2012-05-10T18:44:09Z")
> [@Leaffan](#): > > Well she was born in a small town > And she lives in a small town > Prob’ly die in a small town Unless she’s livin’ in a lonely world and takes the midnight train goin’ anywhere. ---
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2012, 6:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-exactly-a-small-town-or-rural-girl/621534/10 "2012-05-10T18:44:45Z")
> [@Sicks\_Ate](#): > > I have no idea! All I know is that [gingers get a freckle for every soul they steal.](http://weknowmemes.com/tag/ginger-meme/) Ah, of course. Common knowledge. MaryAnns bake an apple pie for every soul they steal. ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2012, 6:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-exactly-a-small-town-or-rural-girl/621534/11 "2012-05-10T18:54:02Z")
A small town != rurality. To me, a small town could be big enough that you don’t know everyone, but small enough that you definitely will see people you know walking down the street. Rural, on the other hand, to me, means a community without a downtown. For instance if you were from [this place](http://maps.google.com/?ll=42.211768,-76.49364&spn=0.021233,0.03386&t=m&z=15) I wouldn’t quibble if you called yourself a rural girl (unless of course you’re a guy,) but if you were from [this slightly larger town](http://maps.google.com/?ll=42.452785,-75.074902&spn=0.042304,0.06772&t=m&z=14), then I’d say no, unless of course like others have said you are familiar with farming or other aspects of country life in which case you’re grandfathered in. But if you’re from [here](http://maps.google.com/?ll=42.441511,-76.491795&spn=0.042311,0.06772&t=m&z=14), then no. That’s a large town or a small city no matter which way you look at it. ---
**Author:** ![Sleeps\_With\_Butterflies](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bb73d2/32.png) [@Sleeps\_With\_Butterflies](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sleeps_With_Butterflies)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2012, 7:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-exactly-a-small-town-or-rural-girl/621534/12 "2012-05-10T19:03:51Z")
> [@PacifistPorcupine](#): > > Maybe you should ask your friend what he meant. What’s with the crazy talk!? ---
**Author:** ![VunderBob](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/839c29/32.png) [@VunderBob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VunderBob)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2012, 7:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-exactly-a-small-town-or-rural-girl/621534/13 "2012-05-10T19:05:30Z")
> [@tdn](#): > > Ah, of course. Common knowledge. > > MaryAnns bake an apple pie for every soul they steal. Mmmm, pie! ---
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2012, 7:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-exactly-a-small-town-or-rural-girl/621534/14 "2012-05-10T19:42:30Z")
> [@VunderBob](#): > > Mmmm, pie! When come back, bring MaryAnn. ---
**Author:** ![brainstall](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/35a633/32.png) [@brainstall](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/brainstall)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2012, 7:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-exactly-a-small-town-or-rural-girl/621534/15 "2012-05-10T19:48:53Z")
> [@Diamonds02](#): > > A friend was bragging how he banged this girl. He said he actually like her and wants to date her for several reasons. One of the reasons is that she’s a “small town girl”. Perhaps it means she’s unsophisticated. Or maybe that he thinks she’s stupid enough to want to date a guy who brags to his friends about banging her. ---
**Author:** ![astro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9dc877/32.png) [@astro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astro)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2012, 12:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-exactly-a-small-town-or-rural-girl/621534/16 "2012-05-12T00:06:47Z")
> [@Diamonds02](#): > > I’ve always assumed it was just a girl from a small town or comes from a farming background. > > But some of the contexts I’ve been hearing it in, I know it means something much more. A friend was bragging how he banged this girl. He said he actually like her and wants to date her for several reasons. One of the reasons is that she’s a “small town girl”. Typically this means that (in general) there is the expectation that she is OK with the simpler pleasures and has lower dating maintenance requirements than a more demanding big city girl in terms of going fancy places and spending a lot of money (in whatever forms) on her. There also a hint of the notion in “small town” that she will be comfortable with a more traditional old fashioned male/female relationship where she lets him take the lead. ---
**Author:** ![Rachellelogram](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rachellelogram/32/8689_2.png) [@Rachellelogram](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rachellelogram)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2012, 2:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-exactly-a-small-town-or-rural-girl/621534/17 "2012-05-12T02:54:23Z")
> [@Diamonds02](#): > > A friend was bragging how he banged this girl. He said he actually like her and wants to date her for several reasons. One of the reasons is that she’s a “small town girl”. He’s just a city boy. ---
**Author:** ![Kozmik](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/8dc957/32.png) [@Kozmik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kozmik)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2012, 3:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-exactly-a-small-town-or-rural-girl/621534/18 "2012-05-12T03:04:53Z")
> [@Ludovic](#): > > Unless she’s livin’ in a lonely world and takes the midnight train goin’ anywhere. What if she’s been livin’ in her white bread world? ---
**Author:** ![The\_Second\_Stone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/bbe5ce/32.png) [@The\_Second\_Stone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Second_Stone)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2012, 3:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-exactly-a-small-town-or-rural-girl/621534/19 "2012-05-12T03:38:14Z")
> [@brainstall](#): > > Perhaps it means she’s unsophisticated. Or maybe that he thinks she’s stupid enough to want to date a guy who brags to his friends about banging her. I think it means that she is bragging to her friends that she is banging him. ---
**Author:** ![Hedda\_Rosa](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hedda_rosa/32/1204_2.png) [@Hedda\_Rosa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hedda_Rosa)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2012, 5:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-exactly-a-small-town-or-rural-girl/621534/20 "2012-05-13T05:20:32Z")
> [@Ludovic](#): > > For instance if you were from [this place](http://maps.google.com/?ll=42.211768,-76.49364&spn=0.021233,0.03386&t=m&z=15) I wouldn’t quibble if you called yourself a rural girl (unless of course you’re a guy,) Well. My sister and her family live just to the east of there. And her kids are absolutely growing up rural, has it’s charms and drawbacks both but, unlike my kids, her kids aren’t freaked out by bugs, mud or wildlife wantering through the yard. My kids on the other hand are growing up in a town of about 160K, and are growing up essentially suburban, possibly “small town” in that we run into their teachers at the grocery store and their former soccer coach at the park, but not rural in that no one nearby has any livestock. We visit the major city nearby monthly. Unlike her kids, my kids aren’t freaked out by yelling, crazy, homeless people. Make of that what you will. 😃